Somalis abroad in public life
Yasmin Warsame (Yaasmiin Warsame)
Yasmin Abshir Warsame (born 5 May 1976) is a Somali-Canadian fashion model and activist. Born in Mogadishu, she moved to Toronto at 15. She has appeared on the covers of Vogue Italia and American Vogue, walked for Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, and was a judge on Canada's Next Top Model. She acted in the 2021 film The Gravedigger's Wife.
Yasmin WarsameYaasmiin Warsame · Yasmin Abshir Warsame
- Lived
- 1976-05-05 to today
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who is she?
Yasmin Abshir Warsame is a Somali-Canadian model and activist (Wikipedia, Yasmin Warsame). In 2004 a poll by Fashion magazine named her "The Most Alluring Canadian" (same source).
Early life
She was born in Mogadishu on 5 May 1976 (Wikipedia). At 15 she moved with her family to Toronto (same source). See Somalis in Toronto.
Modelling
In 2000 she began modelling again with Ford Models in Toronto, with a booking for the Sears catalogue (Wikipedia). In 2002 she moved to NEXT Models Canada and then to Paris (same source). She has worked with agencies in Toronto, Montreal, Paris, London, New York, Barcelona and Amsterdam (same source).
She has appeared on the covers of Vogue Italia, American Vogue, American and British Elle, Amica and Surface (Wikipedia). She has walked couture and ready-to-wear shows for designers from Christian Dior to Jean Paul Gaultier (same source). Her advertising work includes Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Hermès, Shiseido, Chanel, Gap and H&M (same source). See Iman.
Television and film
In 2007 she was a judge on the second season of Canada's Next Top Model (Wikipedia). Her first acting role was in The Gravedigger's Wife (2021), directed by Khadar Ayderus Ahmed (same source). She lives in New York and Toronto (same source).
In short
A Mogadishu-born model who appeared on the covers of Vogue Italia and American Vogue, and later turned to television and film.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Yasmin Warsame · en.wikipedia.org
Yasmin WarsameYaasmiin Warsame · Yasmin Abshir Warsame
- Lived
- 1976-05-05 to today
- Known as one of
- Somalis abroad in public life
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
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- Waris Dirie (Waris Diiriye)Waris Dirie, born 1965: model, author of Desert Flower, UN special ambassador against FGM and founder of the Desert Flower Foundation.
- Halima Aden (Xaliimo Aadan)Halima Aden, born 1997 in Kakuma: hijab-wearing model, UNICEF ambassador and BBC 100 Women honoree.
- Ahmed HussenAhmed Hussen (born 1976): Mogadishu-born refugee who became Canada's first Somali-Canadian MP and Cabinet minister.
- Ilhan OmarIlhan Omar (born 1982): Mogadishu-born former refugee, first Somali American in the US Congress, since 2019.
- Fathia Absie (Fadxiya Cabsiye)Fathia Absie: Somali-American filmmaker of Broken Dreams and The Lobby, graphic novelist and co-founder of Eat With Muslims.