PARIS, Jan 30, 2005/ FW/ --- On the eve of the men’s ready-to-wear collections in Paris, M. Dia brought down the house at the Carrousel du Louvre with his hip-hop chic collections.

The collection assembles 4 lines sensitive to the diverse needs of everyone: Dia Jean, Lady Dia, Refugee by Dia (the result of a collaboration between the Fugees’s Wyclef Jean and Mohamed Dia) and NBA by Dia, rich in colors and original pieces.

The four collections were preceded by an original shadow dance performance by street and breakdancers choreographed by Mia Frye to the sounds of stars like Houston and Missy Elliot. Once the show began, the audience was well into the groove of things.

M. Dia created his brand back in 1998 and immediately gained support from the French rap community thanks to his friends at the French recording label, Secteur A such as the group Arsenik. Today, M. Dia attributes the success of his brands to the values that he cherish most: family, work, respect, courage, will and humility.

The original line, DIA Jeans is more classical, with its relaxed fit, requires a certain maturity and self- confidence. It is composed primarily of baggy jeans, tracksuits and down jackets. The Fall 2005-Winter 2006 collection features shirts, V-neck sweaters and leather jackets.

The NBA by Dia line is the sports line. It has after game outfits in high-tech versions of cotton, molleton and jersey done in the official NBA colors (Lakers, Celticsm Spurs, Clippers, etc). The collection also features sweat outfits, tracksuits and jackets.

The Refugee by Dia is a US hip-hop style collection with extra large outfits from L to XXXXL and is available only in the United States. M. Dia for Women presents a street chick attitude. The Lady Dia logo, in pink as a symbol of beauty, femininity and seduction, shows the collection’s tendency.

To the surprise of many (but not to me), choreographer Mia Frye closed the show as guest model. However, I greatly feared for Mia’s health as she pranced so hard that it seemed very likely that she would throw her hips out of place or dislocate several joints in her back. It was an amusing stunt to get the audience on its feet to end an impressive and well-organized fashion event.