"I left Karachi for a reason," he explains. "I left because I don't want my children to grow up in a society which dictates that you need a Louis Vitton bag and a palm pilot.

I don't want them to have horrible morals and values where you are judged by where you live and what car you drive. Islamabad is beautiful. It's safe and clean. Its like you're not living in Pakistan and you tend to get really spoilt."

Having lived a luxurious life, Tariq loves living the life of a care-free traveller. "I can eat at a roadside khokha for Rs20 and I can have caviar with the Queen of England." But after having caviar with the Queen, he prefers to return home.

"I don't want to live anywhere else. I love my green passport. I love being Pakistani," he says. "I like being a first-class citizen in my own country. You can't live like this anywhere in the world. I don't want to shovel my own snow and take out my own garbage, no thank you."

From Mr Fraudiay to Khamaj and Channo, Tariq's 20 years adventure as a stylist has been quite extraordinary. He's been sneered upon and criticized for modelling, acting and photography, other areas of interest that he pursues along with styling.

"I am a creative person and I can do anything that represents my creativity," he says in his defence. "I can cook, I can decorate, design clothes, jewellery, anything. I am a look-good feel-good person because that's my job. I want to label myself and become an empire. People can go ahead and say all they want 'nayee ban gaya, darzi ban gaya', I really don't care."

Explaining further, he says: "People know nothing better than to criticize because they cannot do what I can. You cannot do Channo or Khamaj if you can't do it.

I've styled that video and the styling is what made such a great impact and I wish somebody would say that, but no. Did any 18-year-old girl know who Shaan was before Khamaj? Kids that age don't watch Pakistani movies but the video turned him into a Brad Pitt."

Refuting the misconception that he's bitter over the criticism meted out at him, Tariq says: "People think I am angry which is a misconception. I am not. I am just fed up and couldn't care less. I do what I do because I can. And I will continue doing what I do.

I am not a kid and this is not a hobby. I am not promoting four of the same chicks with the same hideous look. It's not about design or clothes anymore. It's make-up and only those who know quality work can appreciate it."

At a time when people from the fashion/style industry were shuttling between Lahore and Karachi, Tariq chose the serenity of Islamabad to form the base of his style operations, steering clear of Lahore as he finds it superficial in terms of fashion. "Lahore is a real wannabe fashion place and it is so obvious in their work.

Look at the 20 glossies that are coming out of Lahore. I am not a prude but what is being churned out in these magazines is gross. People might think I am badmouthing Lahore, but just take a look at what is being thrown in our face. It's atrocious!"

Again, one would think Tariq to be a socially charged individual, moving from one party to another but this is not the case. "I have a limited circle of friends. Saqib (Malik) is a school friend of mine. Deepak is like my baby brother. So yes, if I'm going to wear a designer it's going to be Deepak Perwani."

He is quick to respond to allegations that friend Frieha Altaf patronizes him. "We've worked together for the past 20 years. We're friends. If Khawar Riaz and Ather Shehzad can do their own thing why can't I work with someone who actually knows what she's doing? Why is that a problem? At least I am not selling myself cheap.

If today I send a cover to a reputed fashion glossy saying 'Yeh chaap dain', you think they would do it? But I want to be paid for what I do. I won't do it if someone calls me and says 'Jani, please do a shoot'."

But is that the only reason why his work is not visible in the print medium or is the assumption true that he doesn't get along with people and works only with favourites? "I don't work with trash. If you mess with me, you only mess with me once.

If I love you I let you know and if I don't, I'll have to let you know that as well. I am a very black-and-white kind of person and extremely professional when it comes to work. I have a lot of problems with people on a personal level and on a professional level. I never mix the two. There are certain people I don't work with because I can make that choice.

"Art is an elitist thing," says Tariq, explaining why his charges are steep. "My charges are compatible with world prices. You pay for quality. Tariq Amin is a lifestyle. He is not a hairdresser.

You come here because you enjoy the service, the atmosphere and you get hands-on service, with no palming off to someone else. I have never proclaimed that I am the style guru. It's what the media says. But having said that, it's good to be called the king," he says with a laugh.

Tariq feels its time to separate the men from the boys and holds the media responsible for that. "We all state that yeh bhi aacha hai, woh bhi aacha hai, to phir burra kya hai? Mediocrity has become a norm in our culture and I do not strive to be mediocre. I am my own competition.

"We can be very proud that we are a very well-groomed nation, much better than our neighbours. But our problem is that we take fashion too seriously. It should be fun. We make our hair not for ourselves but for other people which is rather sad."

Speaking of future plans, Tariq says: "I plan to celebrate my 20 years through a three-city show. I just did Ali Zafar's video Rangeen. I'm working on another video with Ali Azmat. I just finished a movie Johnny Champion written by Bilal Manto and Faisal Rehman. So there is a lot happening and I'm loving every part of it."

Pragmatic and optimistic, Tariq believes in taking risks and evolving with time. "We are such a safe nation. It gets boring at times to see the same things repeated ad nauseum.

I like taking a plunge into the deep end once in a while. It's very essential to just remember that you know how to swim. And I can tread water really well," he says confidently. "I'm never going to sink."