What do Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner and Paris Hilton have in common?
Besides being veritable American royalty, they all turn to Yousef Al-Jasmi‘s signature sparkling, skintight gowns when they’re looking to make a major statement on the red carpet.
Despite not being the only designer in his family, Kuwait-based Al-Jasmi, who launched his namesake label in 2007, describes his own start in the industry as “sudden and unexpected.” While playing around with a scrap of gold fabric left over from one of his older sister’s collections, he began draping it over a mannequin, eventually turning it into a one-shouldered minidress.
That very first design wound up selling — and Al-Jasmi, who’s since gone on to outfit pretty much every pop star on the planet, from Taylor Swift to Cardi B to Lady Gaga — has maintained more or less the same creative approach ever since.
“It’s instinctual,” he told Page Six Style. “I always go with my gut feeling when designing a gown.”
Like the silver crystal-encrusted, sheer-paneled gown he made for Paris Hilton (“an icon”) to wear to the 2015 Grammys, which he still considers his Hollywood big break. Or the black billowy-sleeved bodysuit Beyoncé chose for her “Sorry” music video in 2016.
“The first time Beyoncé wore one of my designs, that’s something I’ll never forget,” Al-Jasmi recalled. “It was a surreal moment!”
Celebrities who try the Kuwaiti couturier’s creations once tend to become repeat customers; Hilton’s since worn Al-Jasmi everywhere from Cannes to Ibiza, while the “Lemonade” hitmaker glittered in his curve-hugging gold gown at the Atlanta opening of Tyler Perry Studios just last week.
But Al-Jasmi’s also added plenty of new clients recently — including fashion darling Céline Dion, who poses in his red-hot dress on the cover of her new album “Courage,” and Kylie Jenner’s baby daughter Stormi, for whom the designer made a custom Christmas outfit to match her mom’s last December.
The Kardashians, in fact, might just be Al-Jasmi’s most prominent supporters. The famous family first linked up with him in 2015, when Khloé, Kendall and Kylie all wore flapper frocks from his label to Kris Jenner’s “Great Gatsby”-themed 60th birthday.
Since then, the sisters have continued to choose his designs, from the custom bedazzled gown and matching headpiece Khloé commissioned for Kourtney’s 40th birthday party to the colorful, glittering getups Kylie’s modeled in her Kylie Cosmetics campaigns.
But just because Al-Jasmi’s dresses are ubiquitous these days doesn’t mean they’re easy to make. “From sketch to fruition, a typical gown can take hundreds of hours to create, as multiple people are working on the design,” he explained.
They also don’t come cheap: Depending on cut and style, an Al-Jasmi original can set you back anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000.
But for A-listers, it seems that’s a small price to pay for turning heads on a red carpet. “I believe celebrities gravitate toward my designs [because] they speak to them,” Al-Jasmi said simply. “My designs are for bold, strong women who want to make a statement.”
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