Egyptian actress, singer and TN magazine's February cover star Yasmina El Abd is the latest regional ambassador signed on by a major global fashion house.
Dior announced El Abd, 19, has, unusually, been signed across three facets of the maison, becoming the face of its beauty, high jewellery and main ready-to-wear collections under new creative director Jonathan Anderson.
Ambassadors normally get named to represent one division, sometimes two, rather than all the major divisions of a major house. It’s a bold move for the French maison, but also a savvy one – by aligning with a breakthrough young star, Dior is betting on renewed relevance with regional audiences.
El Abd joins the growing ranks of Arab celebrities representing Dior, as it looks to strengthen its presence across the GCC, Levant and North Africa.
Lebanese-British actress Razane Jammal was named as Dior's Middle East ambassador for fashion in 2022, before expanding her role to include beauty in 2024, while Syrian actor Bassel Khayat joined in June of the same year as a male ambassador for Dior in the Middle East.
Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek became the first Middle East fashion and fragrance ambassador for Dior in September 2023, just a few months after he was signed to Cartier.
In 2022, Saudi actress Aseel Omran became a regional Dior ambassador, while Lebanese actress Cynthia Samuel Bakri became the first regional star named as skincare ambassador for Dior Beauty in May 2023.
Dior is not alone in wanting to rope in Arab stars. In November last year, Loewe welcomed Egyptian celebrity Salma Abu Deif as its first regional ambassador, while Lebanese pop star Nancy Ajram was signed in February 2023 to American jewellery house Tiffany & Co as its first female ambassador from the region.
Egyptian actress Yasmine Sabri joined the house of Cartier in 2020 as its ambassador, while Saudi actress Mila Alzahrani was appointed global ambassador for the French house of Boucheron in late 2022.
In October 2022, Egyptian actress and model Tara Emad was named a regional ambassador for fragrance and beauty for Chanel. She is recognised as one of the first faces from the Middle East to represent Chanel Beauty.
As brands look to deepen their presence in the region, strengthening ties with locally recognised stars has become essential. Those able to expand their footprint by leaning into each market’s identity will hold a clear advantage.
It’s a strategy built on timing – and with El Abd on the rise, Dior appears to have chosen well.
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