Beyoncé’s Black Is King visual album broke the internet when it was unveiled past weekend, sending the fashion and music fraternities into frenzy. Among its many striking features is Queen Bey’s exquisite dress by Saudi designer Mohammed Ashi of Beirut-based Ashi Studio. Ashi’s hand-embroidered piece, bedecked with feather, can be seen in the song My Power.

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The music video was styled by Beyoncé’s longtime stylist Zerina Aker. Ashi’s exotic black outfit took 70 hours of work, he revealed in an Instagram post. “The look incorporated exotic feathers, placed one by one on the bodice for this film that has a powerful impact in the world,” the post added. This isn’t the first time that Ashi has dressed Beyoncé. In 2018, the artist walked the red carpet at the Global Citizen Festival in South Africa, wearing Ashi Studio’s custom-made fuchsia gown.

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The stunning and culturally-rich visual album Black Is King is well-timed, as it has been rolled out in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, which Beyoncé has expressed solidarity with. It’s “meant to celebrate the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “The events of 2020 have made the film’s vision and message even more relevant, as people across the world embark on a historic journey. We’re all in search of safety and light.”

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Black is King is an 80-minute project and was released on 31 July on the Disney+ streaming platform and on OSN in the Middle East.

Cover image credit: @Ashistudio