Ashi
2026
A great love of fabric, of fine and opulent textiles, such is the fundament of Mr. Ashi’s passion for Couture, a precious heirloom which he inherited from his father - a renowned textile merchant in his homeland of Saudi Arabia. Couture as a calling, a matter of destiny sealed in a single instant when, as a child, he stumbled upon Richard Avedon’s iconic photograph of Dovima with the elephants: the impeccable pose of the muse, the sculptural purity of her dress - one of Yves Saint Laurent’s very first for the House of Christian Dior - a vision of utter grace which exerted a clear and irresistible pull upon the young man, towards Couture, nothing less, leaving him with an urgent desire, a mission: to weave the age-old aesthetic genius of the Arabian Peninsula into the tradition of Couture he so admired.
A powerful vision which, as a young adult, he pursued to Paris - the very cradle of a certain ideal of elegance and luxury he revered - only to encounter another great love, that of France, its culture, and the country’s precious savoir faire which he set out to master. After a stint studying fashion design and pattern-making at ESMOD, the prestigious school of design, and a first professional experience alongside Riccardo Tisci in the House of Givenchy, where he was versed in the art of Haute Couture and its secrets, he took over the reins of the Elie Saab House as creative director, before laying the foundations of Ashi Studio in the spring of 2007, first in Beirut, then in Paris.
Mr. Ashi is a master of matter, a sculptor of space sublime, achieving timeless grace with each form, he elevates Couture to an artform. Deeply romantic, his work breathes new life into a certain idea of Couture, anchored in the most exclusive savoir faire, mastery of volumes and a quest for purity in each line, defining a resolutely modern signature, baroque yet minimalist. A unique alliance which defines the truly singular style of Ashi Studio, drawing a loyal clientèle of elite, international, aristocratic women, which includes such icons as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé or Emmanuelle Béart.
