Ashi Studio's spring collection began with a culinary experience. “I was in a Japanese restaurant and they gave me charcoal to eat,” said Paris-based designer Mohammed Ashi.
Served as a frothy concoction topped with a quivering sliver of gold leaf, it was so fascinating that it took him down the rabbit hole of Japanese culture, on a quest to understand the philosophy behind it.
He focused on waka, a short and concise Japanese poetic form, and the practice of calligraphy that accompanies it. But instead of making direct reference to all of this, except for a headdress that resembled her plate, Ashi set out to represent strong emotions through sculptural silhouettes.
A suit opened the show, its strict lines broken by a raffia bristle. It was followed by a floaty, skin-baring dress with a sheer bodice that continued into a hip-hugging drape; dresses with high slits on the sides and cocoon-shaped miniskirts that owed their roundness to the way the kimonos fell over the shoulders.
Throughout, the black-and-white palette was livened up with shimmers and shimmers, intended to “give that tingle you feel on your skin when reading a poem,” he said. Embellishments like seashells and sequins gave the fabrics a distinctive sound that was audible even through the booming soundtrack and added an ASMR thrill.
Reconnecting with the sculptural side explored earlier in Ashi's career turned her sophomore offer into a more substantial fee. Judging by her reactions, this seemed to whet the appetite of the couture connoisseurs in the room.
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