Founded in 2007, ASHI Studio quickly became known for its sculptural silhouettes and architectural designs.
A brand with close connections to the Middle East (its founder, Mohammed Ashi, was born and raised in Saudi Arabia until the age of 13), it has universal appeal and has subsequently achieved international success. Seven years after founding his brand, Ashi moved his atelier to Paris and soon began to gain a loyal clientele.
In 2023, ASHI Studio made history as it became the first Saudi Arabian brand to be invited to join the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), making it the first from The Kingdom to show collections on the official calendar at Paris Haute Couture Week. Since his debut at couture week, Ashi has developed the brand, further exploring his recognisable aesthetic and design style.
While Paris has become home for the designer, he remains closely connected to his roots and he was recently appointed as a mentor for Saudi’s Fashion Commission, advising upcoming designers and students on how to grow their own brands. As he prepares for his upcoming Haute Couture collection, we talked to Mohammed Ashi to find out what it means for him to be in this new era of his career.
Tell us about the current vision and direction of ASHI Studio.
As you know, the brand started in 2007, and in recent years, it has progressed further in terms of visibility after we joined the official Haute Couture calendar during Paris Fashion Week. We have amplified the vision towards something more solid, so today, the brand stands with a strong message rather than being commercially driven. That doesn’t mean that we’re not commercially successful. It just means that we have a direction towards a broader brand vision.
And what message or vision is driving the brand today?
The vision is to continue creating a style that ASHI Studio has always had but amplifying and directing this to be a clearer style and look that’s more recognisable. Apart from the storytelling, we have also strengthened the shows and our collections, and we are making them stronger season by season. We’re experimenting and not staying in a safe zone, exploring further and seeing how far we can go.
What does it mean to you to focus more heavily on the haute couture side of the brand?
It meant a lot when I officially got announced to be on the calendar, but today, I look at it differently. It was an exciting moment in the beginning; now, it’s like putting the brand’s footprint into that schedule and trying to have an individual solid aesthetic. I think that showed more this season than in previous seasons as we pushed our style, values, and craftsmanship to another level. We are working towards something and making the brand stronger.
Tell us about the Fall/Winter 2024 Haute Couture collection.
When I started designing this collection I was lost with the theme. It evolved a lot, and by the end, it became clear. So it was an experimental move. We use the word sculpted a lot at ASHI as we are quite architectural in our style and shapes. Sculpted Ink was the title of the collection last season, and it was inspired by Japanese calligraphy and the tools that are used. This season, we called it Sculpted Cloud, which is kind of an emotion that I was going through, and so it’s an emotional collection. It’s more of an expression of a certain moment in life.
Tell us about your design process.
Every season is like riding a bicycle – maybe you will fall, maybe your basket will be full of flowers, but you will never forget. So, I usually start by thinking about the message I want to portray through each collection, and this is where my emotions start to sing. At this point, I don’t think about the fabric or the lookbook, etc.; it’s more about the message that I want to share and then the conceptual part, then realising it and then, from that realisation, taking it down a notch for the audience to understand so it doesn’t look too crazy. I like to keep it elegant and chic, so there is a sense of honing in on the idea to perfect it.
As a designer with close links to the Middle East, how do you feel that Arab designers are growing on a global platform, and what more would you like to see?
I would describe the Arab world today as fashion consumer-driven, more than designer-driven. What’s happening right now in that region is that the consumers are the most amazing consumers – everyone knows that – so the designers follow what the consumers want. But this is evolving. I’m starting to see many streetwear designers, which I would like to see more of. Evening wear is a very strong category in the Middle East, and if you go to Beirut, Dubai, or Egypt, for example, you see what people are wearing, and there is a big change. It is a very consumer-driven economy, but there is an evolution. I think it is still missing edge and modernity, and I think this will be the next chapter. When fashion began, designers weren’t looking to give consumers what they wanted; they were trying to give them something new that they didn’t know they wanted. If you think about Yves Saint Laurent or Cristobal Balenciaga, for example, it was about giving something new to the consumer. This is where I think I stand out. I am trying to come up with a different approach.
What’s the biggest challenge you face as a brand today?
Identity. This is the most difficult part of having a brand today. We all have struggles, and it isn’t easy to create something consistent. For example, you might change your mind and the consumers or fans might take that well or take it the wrong way. That’s the most difficult challenge I face every season – wondering whether to change things too much.
What would you still like to achieve with the brand?
Even though the brand has been around for 18 years, I still consider it very young. It started with an ambition. That ambition took me somewhere, and now, it’s moving towards something bigger. Every season is my first step to something bigger and greater. So, in five or six seasons, I envision myself being in a more solid place with the brand, particularly in Paris. I want to be politically acknowledged more. The fashion industry is all about politics, so I want to be politically more stable.
As you mentioned, you are still, in a way, a young brand. You’re also an independent brand. How do you balance yourself against the big industry players and ensure that you grow and remain successful?
I’m enjoying the designer musical chairs that have been happening recently! That gives me a little bit of strength and more ambition to move forward with the brand. Of course, I wish everyone a successful path, but it is challenging to be a young brand and go against the bigger brands. Whatever you do, other brands will come with all the means to make themselves successful. But all I can do is try my best, and that’s what counts. If you look back to Saudi, I am the only Saudi designer who started that whole movement.
Can you tell us about the collaboration with Riyadh Air?
There is a history of designers and aviation – Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin – all of those iconic designers have been involved in this industry, and I think aviation is part of luxury. If you have a national airline, they will often choose a designer to represent them and capture the image they want to portray. It is a different expression for the designer to dive into that luxury world, and it was a way for me to express another aspect of my creativity. It was a challenge, and the collaboration will continue.
What’s the motto that you live by?
I always challenge myself and ask myself what I can do to improve and excel.
Who or what inspires you?
I read a lot of books. I watch a lot of movies. I love old cinema. Anything intellectual.
What else is in the pipeline for this year?
Last season, we launched a collection called 8pm. This is more of a commercial version of what I usually do. This will be released in October. We have a destination collection, which we revealed in Riyadh earlier this year, and we are talking with another country about doing a fashion show there in October. We tend to focus on countries that we want to expand in with these collections – Thailand, Azerbaijan, UAE, and others. These are countries whose fashion industry is still developing and have room for growth.
What message would you send to our readers?
I think ASHI today is on the path to becoming a more solid brand. There is a lot of expansion happening, and I would tell the readers to expect more to come in the near future.
