"In the 90s I was the only designer from Saudi. But I never said I was Saudi. I wanted the clothes to be out front, not me," Ashi told AFP in a rare interview at his Paris studio. 

It is partly shyness -- he still prefers not to be photographed himself -- but also the fact that Western fashion was largely taboo in public, certainly for women, when he was growing up in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s.

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Ashi made his career abroad, training in the United States and working for Givenchy and Lebanese couturier Elie Saab before settling in France. 

Now, with Saudi Arabia going through momentous social changes, he has been welcomed home as a mentor for its Fashion Commission, set up in 2020 to help build a homegrown industry.

"A few months ago, I was invited publicly to talk in Saudi for the first time, and so many people came up to me afterwards. I'm getting recognition from the younger generation that I never expected," he said. 

"They're giving scholarships to people for something that was prohibited when I was growing up. It's an iconic moment," he added.

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