Yasmeen Ghauri: How a POC Revolutionized the 1990’s Racist Fashion Industry
Born in 1971 in Canada to a German mother and a Pakistani father, Yasmeen Ghauri had a difficult childhood, facing bullying, racism, and discrimination due to the color of her skin and her ethnic heritage. It was at her local McDonald’s restaurant where she was working that she was discovered by hairdresser Edward Zaccaria at the age of seventeen. Despite her dad’s disapproval regarding her Muslim education, she decided to leave her hometown and pursue her dream, determined to face the harsh world of fashion.
Ghauri entered an industry where almost all of the models walking the runway were Nordic-looking, where European faces and features were valued and often financially rewarded, elevating the idea that this beauty standard was the one to aim for. Every girl wanted to look like the astonishing Claudia Schiffer, Brigitte Bardot, or Cindy Crawford. The fashion industry was nothing like it is today: you never or rarely saw POC models on magazine covers or on the runway. The only one by then was Naomi Campbell, so Yasmeen Ghauri’s arrival was the real turning point. Although many of her first castings and brand meetups weren’t fruitful because her features were considered “too ethnic”, her career started in Paris, where she met the great Tunisian designer, Azzedine Alaïa. Soon after being propelled in the world of fashion, she was noticed by the New York Times, describing her as the “coffee skinned Yasmeen Ghauri, whose hard to get gaze was bellied by the ball bearing swivel of her hips”. Indeed, her unforgettable walk was probably the second attribute that made her famous. Only a few months later, she joined the inner circle of top-notch 1990’s models such as Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb, and Grace Jones; and all of a sudden magazines, fashion critics, and designers wanted to have a word with her. The peak of her career happened between 1990 and 1993, a time when she was walking for Jean Paul Gaultier, YSL, Valentino, Victoria’s Secret - becoming the face of many brands like Dior, Hermès, Chanel, Anne Klein, or Lanvin, and being on the cover of Elle Magazine and Vogue worldwide while posing for Gilles Bensimon or Steven Meisel.
Though her most famous catwalk was the controversial ‘bondage’ show of Gianni Versace in Milan in 1991, we can’t forget about her iconic look at the YSL Prêt-à-Porter show in 1990, which showcased a very elegant two-piece black set, a voluminous 1970’s hairstyle, and a bold red lip; similarly memorable was the colorful pattern of her dress in Chloé by Lagerfeld Runway show in 1992.
Edward Zaccaria was right when he told Yasmeen Ghauri that she could drastically change the industry. By changing it for the best, she rapidly became the role model of many young girls, opening the doors of diversity whilst becoming one of the most en-vogue models worldwide. Despite her rapid ascension, she never lost humility, saying that there are “thousands of girls out there who could be doing my job”, and always mentioning and thanking her father for her education. She finally decided to retire in 1997 at only 27 years old to focus on her family and her children. As short as her career was, Ghauri paved the way for thousands of POC models (like Iman Hamman, Jari Jones, Jillian Mercado, or Adut Akech…) and was the face of the fashion industry revolution.