Fashion designer Victor De Souza is to make his mark on this year's (14) New York Fashion Week by parading his models in horse-drawn carriages to protest against plans to ban the vehicles from Central Park.

The tourist attraction is under threat amid proposals from Mayor Bill de Blasio to ban the rides and replace them with classic cars following a long campaign by animal rights activists.

De Souza, who has designed for stars including Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, is fiercely opposed to the ban, and he is taking a stand by launching his fashion week show next month (Sep14) with his models riding around Central Park in the traditional carriages.

He says of the mayor's proposals, "It would be so sad to me (for the carriages to be banned). I think of New York, I think of Central Park, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the horses. People come for the horses. I hope they do not lose this fight. This is a part of New York."

Stars including actor Liam Neeson are fighting the proposed ban on horses, insisting the drivers will be stripped of their livelihoods, but the plan has received support from celebrities including Alec Baldwin and Pamela Anderson.