Yasmeen Ghauri Biography

		Biography
		Yasmeen's Star Is Rising The famous brown-haired, brown-eyed woman sitting in the early-fall sunshine in the garden restaurant of Montreal's venerable Ritz-Carlton Hotel has undergone an astounding metamorphosis. Just three years ago, 17-year- old Yasmeen Ghauri was a self-described "rebel'' who dressed entirely in black, from her dyed black hair to the tips of her black-painted toenails. But at the Ritz-Carlton, as the white-jacketed waiters hovered nearby and high-living patrons gazed admiringly over their lunches at her, Ghauri basked in her temporary anonymity. Few people in the restaurant knew that the once troubled teenager is now one of the most sought-after models in the world. And as she toyed with the eight asparagus spears neatly arranged on a white china plate in front of her, Ghauri seemed prepared for her fairy-tale career to end. ``I'm 20 years old and just want to make as much money as possible,'' said Ghauri, ``because I do not know when this will all be over.' SHE EARNS $ 5.000 FOR JUST A FEW HOURS' WORK Although she is still almost unknown on the streets of her home city of Montreal, when she is working in the fashion capitals of Milan and Paris people routinely ask the striking five-foot, nine-inch model for her autograph. Ghauri, who is known in the fashion world simply as Yasmeen, has risen so fast that she is already modelling clothes for such esteemed fashion houses as Paris-based Chanel and Oscar de la Renta. As well, she now routinely appears in the pages of top international fashion magazines. She earns $5,000 for just a few hours' work, and by undertaking major advertising campaigns, she is rapidly becoming a multimillionaire. Said Giovanni Bernardi, owner of Montreal's Giovanni Model Management Inc. , who helped launch her career in 1989: ``It was only a matter of time before she was a major star.'' HER FATHER FROM PAKISTAN, HER MOTHER FROM GERMANY Ghauri, who speaks with the intelligence and confidence of someone twice her age, is the product of a mixed marriage: her father, Moin, is a Moslem from Pakistan, and her mother, Linda, is German. Together, they immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1970, and Ghauri said that as a child growing up in Montreal's middle-class west end, she was deeply hurt by classmates who chanted ``Paki, Paki'' at her. Becoming a loner, she withdrew into herself and for a short time practised her father's faith. Said Linda Ghauri: ``She was always very mature for her age. She liked older people and never got along with younger kids.'' YASMEEN'S FATE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED IN JULY, 1989 But fate dramatically changed Ghauri's life in July, 1989, when Edward Zacharia, artistic director of Montreal's Platine Coiffure, noticed the tall teenager walking nearby the hair salon. Platine owner Joseph Del Torto, who has worked with some of Montreal's top models over the past 12 years, recalled that Ghauri's hair was a ``mess'' when Zacharia brought her to his salon. But they soon transformed her from angry teenager into fashion- smart urbanite. Del Torto said that Ghauri also benefited because the market for models had shifted away from all-American pouting blondes to a more sophisticated, exotic look. Said Del Torto: ``She was a great natural beauty. We knew right away that she would do really well.'' Zacharia arranged a number of photo sessions for Ghauri, including a series of postcards in which Ghauri appeared topless, with her arms covering her breasts, at the corner of Montreal's St. Lawrence Boulevard. But the postcards were never distributed because Ghauri's father found them offensive. Even now, Moin Ghauri, who was divorced from his wife in 1980, says that he is deeply disturbed by his daughter's career. ``I am Moslem,'' he said, ``and modelling is not something that we allow. But it was her decision, and she will have to live with the consequences.'' YASMEEN MEETS BERNARDI About six weeks after Zacharia discovered her, Ghauri met Bernardi, who found her work in small fashion shows in Montreal and who, in late 1989, introduced her to the managers of New York City-based Next Management Co. Despite her limited training, Ghauri was an immediate hit in Milan and Paris. And she quickly created a profile in an industry filled with beautiful and highly competitive women by developing an exaggerated runway walk and by refusing to smile. Now, when Ghauri walks down the runway in Paris and Rome, she is instantly recognizable. Said Bernardi: ``When she turns at the end of the runway, she puts her foot down heel first, like she is making a statement. It is a sign of extreme confidence.'' While Ghauri is increasingly in demand as a magazine model -- she commands more than 10 pages in Vogue's special fall edition alone -- she said that she loves both the competitiveness and the show-business aspects of Europe's extravagant fashion shows. SHE HAS HARDLY TIME TO SPEND ANY OF HER MONEY The atmosphere is so intense that established models push and shove newcomers. But Ghauri said that now she is accepted in her own right. She added: ``A lot of people who were mean to me when I first started are nice to me now.'' Despite her sudden success and rapidly mounting wealth, Ghauri says that she has hardly had time to spend any of her money. She has an apartment in Manhattan that she decorated herself, and her only major expenditure this year was a $3,000 stair-climber exercise machine, which she uses to keep her legs in shape. And she exhibits a refreshing modesty about her success. ``There are thousands of girls out there who could be doing my job, '' said Ghauri. ``You have to be the right place at the right time.'' For Ghauri, walking nearby Joey Del Torto's hair salon was the right time and place to launch a spectacular career.