Saudi fashion house Ashi Studio marked its 20th anniversary with a Fall 2026 couture collection exploring identity, concealment and transformation during Paris Haute Couture Week.
Presented on Tuesday, the show closed with the phrase, “Behind every mask is another mask,” reflecting inspirations ranging from Renaissance-era festivities in Florence to Carlos de Beistegui’s famed 1951 masked ball at Venice’s Palazzo Labia.
Ashi Studio
Designer Mohammed Ashi approached the body as both a form to be reshaped and a vessel for protection. Sculptural garments evoked armor, combining strength with vulnerability through sharply defined silhouettes.
Feathers, corsets, shell-like structures, veils, fringe and glossy finishes transformed models into ethereal figures. Narrow waists and exaggerated proportions blurred the line between human, bird and insect, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Chanel unveiled a fairy tale-inspired couture collection staged against a surreal garden backdrop, where towering beanstalks and oversized flowers created an atmosphere that was both whimsical and unsettling.
Among those attending were Tilda Swinton, Michelle Yeoh and Catherine Deneuve.
Creative director Matthieu Blazy said the collection was inspired by a leather-bound book of fairy tales discovered in founder Gabrielle Chanel’s former apartment.
The opening look featured a sheer Chanel suit embroidered with delicate bean shoots. Botanical motifs appeared throughout the collection, with vines climbing dresses and wrapping around shoe heels, while butterflies and blossoms surfaced in unexpected places.
Evening bags were shaped as sleeping bears and plump chickens, while shoe heels resembled butterflies and golden eggs. The collection also referenced stories including Goldilocks, Puss in Boots and The Ugly Duckling without making the themes explicit.
Blazy also emphasized hidden craftsmanship. Jackets concealed painted linings and handwritten-style to-do lists embroidered onto sheer silk, while deliberately frayed edges referenced Coco Chanel’s practice of pinning and altering garments during fittings.
“Haute Couture at Chanel is not just a fairy tale; in essence it is for women, their realities and their adventures of the everyday,” Blazy said.
Related Topics:
Culture Ministry to Showcase Saudi Fashion in Venice with Exhibition and Pop-Up Store
Travel Fashion: Your Vacation Wardrobe
Saudi 100 Brands to Shine at Paris Fashion Week
