For Ashi Autumn-Winter 18, think dark romance and mysterious movements. MOJEH caught up with designer Mohammed Ashi during Haute Couture week in Paris
Ashi Autumn-Winter 18 is a tale of a refined and sophisticated woman who is always on the move. Whether running from life, a lover or the spoils of war, she flees in the grandest of ways. "I thought a lot about immigration, the political scene that we're experiencing at the moment," explains Mohammed Ashi, the designer behind Ashi Studio. We met during Paris Haute Couture Week at his showcase, presented in an old but opulent Parisian apartment, littered with signs of a hurried departure. "I put a story together, a scene that happened in this apartment. This woman, she's moving from one place to her next mysterious destination." A juxtaposition between abundance and loss, refinement and unravelling, echoes throughout the collection. Magnificent pieces shrouded in the most opulent of embellishment also show whispers of distress. Similarly, dresses built from layer upon layer of perfectly pleated tulle, unravel and cascade to the floor as quickly as a life that's been turned upside down. "It's a story of dark romance. A woman who is in a constant state of instability. Maybe she's moving away from a lover or a life that's been torn away. She is always in emotional flux," says Mohammed Ashi.
