Words by Shayni Solanki
‘Supermodel’ isn’t a title to be taken lightly, and Yasmeen Ghauri happened to be one of the most iconic women to hold the title in the 1990s.
Born in Montreal, Pakistani-German Yasmeen Ghauri was discovered by Platine Coiffure artistic director Edward Zaccaria aged just 17. Although her parents disapproved of her pursuit of a career in modelling, she did it anyway, and it definitely paid off.
Bullied for her ethnic features, a lot of her interviews have seen her speak of being the “ugly duckling” growing up, a sentiment that further manifested itself through self-criticism throughout her career.
Her first major cover was for Elle in January 1991, but she also managed to make her mark on the runways. In her early career, Ghauri walked for a ton of major brands, modelling for the likes of YSL, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, and Versace.
She was pretty much booked and busy from the day she became a model. What set her apart from other models was the way she did her own makeup. We all know how the 90s wasn’t exactly the best time for makeup; there weren’t the 50 Fenty shades that we are all used to now.
When she first stepped onto the runway, Ghauri thought her makeup looked grey, but that all changed when she began doing it herself. Going on to walk for Dior, Hermes, and Vivienne Westwood, there wasn’t a high-end brand that didn’t want Yasmeen Ghauri.
Becoming a certified supermodel, Ghauri became famous for her walk. Tyra Banks said that Ghauri had “the walk of life” and that, “when she walked, it was like her hips were going to dislocate.”
Fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld also adored her as made clear by Ghauri’s countless Lagerfeld runways and her position as the opening model for many of his shows. Lagerfeld once said,“lots of girls try to imitate her walk, but it’s not easy because no one has the long legs or body of Yasmeen Ghauri”.
Naturally we can’t talk about Yasmeen Ghuari without also talking about her chemistry and history with Naomi Campbell. The pair walked together in several shows as a couple of the only women of colour to ever become supermodels and, in doing so, opening doors for the next generation.
In an age where modelling is on the brink of death, we no longer have memorable supermodels. The infamous phrase “Go girl, give us nothing” is instinctively regurgitated when the new girls step on the catwalk. There may be some blooming icons like Yasmin Wijnaldum and Anok Yai, but it seems that there aren’t any true supermodel amongst this generation. Yasmeen Ghauri may have opened doors, but we’re still waiting on the new girls figuring out how to walk through it with even half the power that she did.