Dior just named Yasmina El-Abd its newest ambassador across beauty, haute joaillerie and Jonathan Anderson’s womenswear collections simultaneously. At 19, with a decade of work already behind her and a cultural footprint that spans Netflix, Billboard charts and Gen-Z Arab culture, she didn’t stumble into this role. She built it. At a moment when the Arab world is carrying more grief, weight and scrutiny than it should have to, it is uplifting to see a young Egyptian woman appointed the face of a global fashion House – not despite where she’s from, but because of everything she brings with her. Here’s everything you need to know about the woman doing it all.
Yasmina El-Abd has been performing since she was nine years old. Born in Geneva, raised between Switzerland, Cairo and Dubai, El-Abd started performing professionally at nine and had a music career by twelve. She acts and sings in English, French and Arabic. Her short film The Shadow of Cairo was nominated at a New York International Children’s Film Festival – an Oscar-qualifying event – before she’d hit secondary school. This is not an overnight story.
Two shows made Yasmina a household name. Finding Ola, Netflix’s Egyptian comedy-drama with Hend Sabry, was her TV debut. Season one hit the global Top 10 and led regional charts for three weeks. Then came Midterm on MBC Shahid, the university drama that became a full-blown cultural moment for Gen Z audiences across the region. Clips of her character, Tia, were shared endlessly on social media.
As well as acting, she’s also a musician. As part of Midterm, El-Abd recorded a song called Damma. She was sick during the session and the vocal was intended as a placeholder until it could be re-recorded. It was not replaced. That accidental demo went on to spend six weeks near the top of Billboard’s regional charts, racking up millions of streams alongside the show’s success. The kind of accident that, in retrospect, doesn’t look like one at all.
Yasmina made Forbes Middle East‘s 30 Under 30 list before she turned 20 years old. In 2024, she played a role in the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, performing on a global stage before heads of state and international figures. She has also been signed to Artist International Group in the US for global representation. The infrastructure around her career is being built at pace and she is clearly driving it (whilst inspiring us all to get on with our to-do lists).
And then there was Dior. Not only has the House named Yasmina its newest ambassador, but it has made her the face across categories, all at once. At a moment when Anderson – the first designer to unify all of Dior’s creative direction since Christian Dior himself – is writing an entirely new chapter for the House, her appointment marks his continued steps to keep the House moving forward. Yasmina joins Lebanese-British actress Razane Jammal, Syrian actor Bassel Khaiat and Egyptian actor Ahmed Malik as the House’s regional Friends of the House.
