PARIS, FRANCE- Respected Saudi designer Mohammed Ashi unveiled his AW23-24 Couture collection. He is … [+]
Ashi’s show was held in the center of Paris at the Théatre du Châtelet and it was most unique as guests gathered on stage to watch the collection that’s inspired by Patrick Süskind’s book, Perfume.
Ashi is not just any kind of designer. He’s a bit edgy yet structured, as there’s nothing boring about his silhouettes. With perfume being at the heart of the collection, the looks reflect this as if there is a fragrance illuminating from a bottle. Because fragrance evokes emotions and memories, this was very much a part of the collection as Ashi wanted the yearning that a fragrance provides to do the same for the Couture-wear. “Just as extraction transforms the soul of a plant into scent, Ashi uses meticulous craftsmanship to reconstruct immaterial notions of memory, yearning, and fragrance into couture,” says the brand in collection notes.
Already a designer known amongst the stars, he has dressed Cardi B, Zendaya, and Beyoncé to name a few. Architectural tones are seen throughout the looks with the detailing in corset dresses, also in the way ecru organza hugs a woman’s curves, and in the way fabric trails behind a woman in the same way a scent follows. Another way he metaphorized perfume in the collection, is “vintage flacons informing origami-like folds on an evening gown crafted from 150 meters (164 feet) of fabric, or how he crafted a shoe heel molded from an ombré resin that makes the bottle appear half-full,” says the brand.
Having been outside of Saudi Arabia for over a decade and ensconced in Paris for a while, Ashi is seen as a beacon of success for young Saudi designers. As Elie Saab was the first Lebanese designer to show that someone could make it on the world’s stage, Ashi is the first Saudi designer to do this for his country.
According to a Saudi Census from this year, over 63% of Saudis are under the age of thirty. There’s a lot of young talent in the country and it is opening up with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030 taking root. The fashion ecosystem is robust and also taking root. In October the Saudi Fashion Commission will hold their inaugural fashion week in the Riyadh.