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Yasmeen Ghauri

By SARA TEMPLETON

Born in Montreal, Yasmeen Ghauri was one of the most successful Canadian models in the 90s, appearing in a veritable cornucopia of glossy magazines, and strutting across runways from New York to Paris.

Yasmeen's intriguing name and exquisite appearance comes from her lineage: Her father is Pakistani and her mother is German, and it all started for the brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty when she was 17 and still a school student.

Joseph Del Tortoon, Yasmeen's hairdresser, suggested she should go and see a modeling agency, after he was awed by the Canadian's radiance.

Despite her "young and rebellious" appearance, Del Tortoon saw true beauty in Yasmeen, but her parents were opposed to Yasmeen pursuing a career in modeling - whether big or small - largely due to her father's Islamic religious beliefs.

Even in the face of her parents' beliefs, Yasmeen persisted and, in the late 1980s, she signed a modeling contract with an agency located in Montreal. In 1990, Yasmeen relocated to the hussle and bussle of New York, where she landed modeling for none other than Versace, and it was then that people started taking notice.

Before long, Yasmeen's star was on the rise and in the early 1990s she worked hard building her reputation, completing work for the likes of Donna Karan, strutting her stuff on the catwalks.

By 1994, and for most of the year after, she worked in Europe as well as America and it wasn't until '95 that she decided to tackle print work.

And boy - what a gig! She shot to fame appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue - and also on its cover no less - and her work also entered magazines such as Marie Claire.

Her tall frame made her a hit with fashion designers and she has since worked with Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Christian Dior.

Furthermore, Yasmeen has also worked on ad campaigns for Chanel, Givenchy, Escada, Gianni Versace Couture, Saks Fifth Avenue, Valentino and the mainstream-friendly Victoria's Secret.

There was some controversy in mid-1996 when Yasmeen Ghauri decided to retract from an Yves Saint-Laurent show, prompting many to speculate on her retirement. It was later discovered that she was pursuing a degree in business.

Keenly involved in helping those less fortunate than herself, Yasmeen has supported breast cancer research fund-raising drives, and also supported a charity for saving Germany's famous Black Forest. Today she lives with her husband and baby daughter Maya, enjoying a life well away from the media spotlight, and is said to enjoy activities such as rollerblading, skiing and creating art.

Photo: Unknown	Photo: Time (1995)