From Middle Eastern houses to the youngest designer ever to make his runway debut, here are the highlights on the fourth day of Haute Couture week in Paris as it comes to an end.
ASHI Studio delivered a poised and assured Spring 2026 couture collection, reaffirming the house’s growing authority on the Paris stage. Defined by sculpted silhouettes and meticulous craftsmanship, the collection fused Victorian-inspired corsetry with a sensual, surreal mood. References to Victorian mourning ran throughout, echoing the era’s rituals of loss and restraint, and the image of Queen Victoria in perpetual black after Prince Albert’s death. Yet the emotion felt transformative rather than literal, translating darkness into something intimate and refined.
Corsets constructed using traditional techniques cinched the waist tightly, creating exaggerated hips and bell-shaped forms, while dresses and peplums curved into shell-like silhouettes. The designer’s fascination with control, mourning and desire was woven into every detail. Hair was braided and sculpted into swirling forms, embedded into gowns or trailing down the spine, recalling mourning jewellery. Ghostly handprints, faded script, wax seals, skeleton keys and death moths added an otherworldly charge, blurring history with contemporary couture.
Rami Al Ali unveiled Fragments in Harmony for Spring Summer 2026, presenting a quietly powerful chapter from the Dubai-based designer. Shaped by movement, reconstruction and precision, the collection explored the beauty of contrast becoming whole. Sculptural volumes were softened by fluid silhouettes, with layered organza, sheer transparencies and visible seams designed to breathe and shift with the body.
Inspired by the philosophy of 13th-century Persian poet Rumi, the collection traced a journey of transformation, in which fragments appeared within the silhouette before gently recombining. A luminous palette of ivory, soft pinks, sage and champagne underscored the sense of calm clarity, while mosaic-inspired embroidery and delicate embellishment highlighted the handmade gesture. Movement lay at the heart of every look, reinforcing couture as a living, evolving art form.
Elsewhere, Phan Huy made history as the first Vietnamese and youngest designer to present on the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar. Just 27 years old, he launched his label less than three years ago and has already been fast-tracked into the rarefied world of couture.
His Spring Summer 2026 collection unfolded in a series of ethereal evening dresses, crafted from weightless muslin and layers of tulle. Delicate hand-stitched floral motifs and intricate beaded embellishments referenced the refinement of Vietnam’s former royal Nguyen Dynasty, lending the collection a sense of heritage and romance.
