Fearless, influential and imminently stylish, Yasmin Sewell (@yasminsewell) is the ultimate #girlcrush.

Whether you are loyal to Vogue or occasionally flirt with other fashion magazines, you may have come across a certain olive-skinned brunette with a striking face. She would have exuded androgynous chutzpah in boxy button-down blazers and baggy denim jeans, or effortless poise in tailored pants and statement skirts. Her hair, a wonderfully assembled bob of curls, probably looked like it had professional help (it didn’t!); and her smile, of toothpaste ad wattage, very likely lit up the entire magazine. Her name is Yasmin Sewell.

Image: Tyrone Lebon.

The first time Sewell fell in love with fashion, she was a little girl fawning over a pink taffeta ballgown that her mother had sewn on a Singer machine. When she started an internship at Harper’s Bazaar, New York, it was fait accompli: Sewell belonged in the electric galaxy of fashion, light years away from the desk job in real estate that she had previously held. Today, almost two decades later, Sewell has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names as buyer, forecaster, consultant, stylist, and all-round visionary..

When Sewell was 22, she opened Yasmin Cho, a private boutique in London that catapulted the otherworldly designs of Rick Owens into the spotlight. Gifted with a sharp eye for impactful design, she then progressed to buying and creative consultancy roles at Liberty and Brown’s – two reputed luxury retailers in London – where she is credited with turning Christopher Kane, J.W. Anderson, and Roksanda Ilincic into industry powerhouses.

Image: Barneys New York.

Image: Laura Allard-Fleischl.

After three years of working as a Buying Director at Brown’s, Sewell announced that she was going to start her own consultancy. The news had the entire British fashion industry on tenterhooks. Vogue.com – and this is not hyperbolic – described Sewell’s departure as “one of the biggest positions in London – indeed the world – is vacant again”.

In 2009, Sewell set up Yasmin Sewell Ltd., a fashion consultancy that offers branding, trend forecasting and analysis, creative direction, and retail strategy services. Her clientele includes established labels of the Acne, Chloe and Hermes ilk; and retail giants Barneys and Zara. Additionally, Sewell also moonlights as Creative Director at Paper Mache Tiger, a full-service fashion sales and communications agency, and as co-founder and Creative Director of être cécile, a cult label inspired by French girls who don’t take life too seriously.

Born and bred in Sydney, Sewell moved to London because “no one in Australian fashion would give [her] a job”. Today, she counts the who’s who of the Australian fashion industry as her clients, and in 2012, she was named Young Australian of the Year for her phenomenal contribution to fashion.

She’s come a long way for a girl who first got her foot in the door at Brown’s as a window dresser!

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