Yasmin Abdallah is an Australian fashion entrepreneur and creative consultant who is known professionally as Yasmin Sewell. She established her reputation in London through her boutique Yasmin Cho, followed by buying and creative roles at Browns and Liberty. Her career later included senior positions at Style.com and Farfetch, alongside co-founding the clothing label Être Cécile. Fashion profiles have also highlighted her support for emerging designers, making her an influential figure in both retail and street style.
In 2021, she launched Vyrao, a fragrance and wellbeing brand that connected her experience in luxury retail with her longstanding personal interests. The company subsequently attracted investment from Estée Lauder’s New Incubation Ventures and L Catterton, adding another chapter to her business career. Her personal story includes growing up in a Lebanese-Australian family, motherhood, and a brief marriage to actor Rufus Sewell. Together, these experiences form the background to a career that has developed across fashion, creative consulting, and beauty.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Yasmin Abdallah |
| Professional Name | Yasmin Sewell |
| Born | January 1976 |
| Age | 50 years old as of November 2026 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Heritage | Lebanese-Australian |
| Raised In | Sydney, Australia |
| Profession | Fashion entrepreneur, creative consultant, and fragrance founder |
| Early Boutique | Yasmin Cho in London’s Soho |
| Fashion Experience | Browns, Liberty, Style.com, and Farfetch |
| Clothing Label | Co-founder of Être Cécile |
| Fragrance Business | Vyrao, launched in 2021 |
| Former Husband | Rufus Sewell |
| Children | Sons include Knox and Renzo |
Why She Is Also Known as Yasmin Sewell
Yasmin Abdallah is the birth name of the fashion entrepreneur known professionally as Yasmin Sewell. In a 2013 Vogue profile, fashion writer Sarah Mower recalled her arrival in London from Australia in 1996, when she was still using the name Yasmin Abdallah. She later married British actor Rufus Sewell and kept his surname after their brief marriage ended, as reported by PerthNow. She continued using Yasmin Sewell throughout her fashion career and when she founded Vyrao, which explains why both names appear in coverage of her work.
Age, Early Life, and Lebanese-Australian Roots
UK Companies House lists her birth month as January 1976, making her 50 years old as of November 2026. Yasmin grew up in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in a Lebanese-Australian family and spent part of her childhood in the beachside suburb of Maroubra. Her mother was a hairdresser who ran a small salon in nearby Kingsford. Yasmin has described her connection to the Australian coast, especially the ocean, as an influence that stayed with her after moving overseas and helped shape the outlook she later brought to Vyrao.
Leaving School and Her First Jobs
Yasmin left school at 15 and started working immediately, as she recalled in an interview with Into The Gloss. She spent about three years in a Sydney real estate office as a personal assistant to John McGrath and later described that experience as a valuable education in its own right. When she moved to London, she knew she wanted to work in fashion and was still figuring out which role would suit her. One of her first jobs in the industry was dressing windows at Browns, where she began learning how a fashion retailer presents clothes and attracts customers.
Moving to London and Opening Yasmin Cho
Yasmin Abdallah moved from Sydney to London in the 1990s with an interest in fashion and little idea of which job would suit her. She told Into The Gloss that the formal service she encountered in luxury shops made her want to create a boutique where customers would feel welcome. That idea became Yasmin Cho, which opened on Poland Street in Soho in the late 1990s and stocked designers such as Rick Owens and Miguel Adrover early in their careers. Joel Bernstein helped shape the concept for the shop, and Yasmin later credited him with teaching her how to be a fashion buyer.
Her Buying and Creative Roles at Browns and Liberty
Yasmin returned to Browns as buying director, taking responsibility for choosing which designers and collections the London retailer would carry. She later worked with Liberty through her own consultancy, serving as chief creative consultant and helping overhaul its womenswear and accessories departments. The project introduced more than 60 brands and changed both the interiors and the way collections were displayed. Her work at Liberty also extended to fragrance, where she helped introduce Frédéric Malle’s perfumes to the store. When the Liberty assignment ended in 2010, she continued advising fashion and retail businesses on product development, trend forecasting, and creative direction.
Discovering and Supporting Emerging Designers
At Browns, Yasmin was the first buyer to pick up Christopher Kane’s collection in 2006. At Liberty, she spotted Jonathan Anderson’s menswear in 2009 and encouraged him to design womenswear. She also served on the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN committee, which helped select emerging designers for funding and opportunities to present their collections to buyers and the fashion press. Her support continued through her consultancy, where she mentored New York handbag designer Reece Hudson and included Hudson’s work in Beach in the East, the pop-up shop she curated in Shoreditch in 2013.
Co-Founding Être Cécile
Yasmin co-founded the London label Être Cécile in 2013 with a team that included Jemma Dyas and Kyle Robinson. She and Dyas had struggled to find distinctive T-shirts and sweatshirts at prices they were comfortable paying, so they built the label around those pieces. The early collections drew on French style, using playful slogans and bold graphics on tops designed to work with tailored trousers or a blazer. The label later added denim and outerwear, including parkas and oversized bomber jackets, for its pre-spring 2015 collection.
Her Work at Style.com and Farfetch
Condé Nast appointed Yasmin fashion director of Style.com in 2015, ahead of its launch as an online fashion store in 2016. She helped shape the mix of brands and exclusive collections for a platform that brought shopping together with the publisher’s fashion coverage. Farfetch acquired Style.com in June 2017 and appointed her vice president of style and creative that August. In the new role, she led Farfetch’s global editorial and creative teams and oversaw the website’s content and styling direction. She left the company in 2018 after a little over a year in the position.
Street Style Influence and Her Public Profile
Yasmin became a familiar face in street style photographs taken during fashion weeks. In a 2013 interview with Vogue, she described feeling most comfortable in menswear-style blazers, wide trousers, and simple pumps. She also talked about wearing pieces by designers such as Simone Rocha and Roksanda Ilincic. Her 2014 collaboration with Barneys New York brought elements of her own wardrobe into a collection that included a geometric-print poplin shirt. Allure later featured her in its My Look series, where she discussed the influences behind her outfits and how she chooses clothes worth investing in.
Her Brief Marriage to Rufus Sewell
Yasmin Abdallah met British actor Rufus Sewell in a Sydney bar while he was filming Dark City, according to PerthNow. Their relationship took her to London, where she opened her Soho boutique before they married in 1999. The Independent reported at the time that they had a quiet register office ceremony and that Rufus went straight back to work on Macbeth afterward. They separated in 2000, around the same period that Yasmin Cho closed. She spent a short time back in Australia before returning to work in London fashion.
Her Family With Kyle Robinson
Vogue profiled Yasmin Abdallah and Australian fashion entrepreneur Kyle Robinson as a married couple in 2013, when their first son was a toddler. Robinson had started the wholesale fashion showroom Paper Mache Tiger, where Yasmin became a director, and her retail consultancy shared a space with the showroom. She described Kyle as having a keen eye for detail and fine art, while she considered selling one of her own strengths. A 2021 ELLE profile reported that she had been going through a divorce around the time she left Farfetch.
Motherhood and Her Sons, Knox and Renzo
Yasmin and Kyle welcomed their first son, Knox Rocket Robinson, in late October 2011. She told British Vogue that she planned to keep her consultancy going at a slower pace and expected to bring him along to some meetings. After their younger son, Renzo, was born, she spoke about focusing on decisions at the office so she could be present with both boys when she got home. She also let them choose their bedroom colors during a renovation. Knox picked blue with red and yellow accents, while Renzo went for green.
Founding Vyrao in 2021
Yasmin founded Vyrao in 2021 and introduced it that May through a pop-up at Selfridges in London. The launch featured five fragrances and a sampler called High Five, which let customers try the full collection. Creative director Jaime Perlman designed the colored glass bottles, and Yasmin chose a different color for each perfume. The line reached Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States that September. Yasmin developed the original formulas in collaboration with British perfumer Lyn Harris.
The Move From Fashion Into Fragrance
After leaving Farfetch in 2018, Yasmin took a break from fashion to spend time with her sons. She told British Vogue that renovating her home and painting several rooms green gave her space to think about what she wanted to do next. By then, she had practiced Vedic meditation since her twenties and explored Reiki alongside her work in fashion. In 2019, she began thinking seriously about building a business around her interest in wellbeing. She settled on fragrance because she was drawn to the way a scent could bring a feeling or a memory to mind.
Vyrao’s Fragrances and Wellbeing Focus
Vyrao builds each perfume around a feeling or intention. The brand pairs rose, orris, and white musk in Witchy Woo, a scent themed around courage and creativity. I Am Verdant uses bergamot, iris, and orange flower to express the idea of renewal. Vyrao includes a small Herkimer quartz crystal in its 50 ml perfume bottles, and Yasmin encourages wearers to take a moment to set an intention when applying a scent. The brand has extended the same approach to home fragrance through candles and incense.
Investment From Estée Lauder and L Catterton
In March 2023, Vyrao announced a minority investment from The Estée Lauder Companies through its New Incubation Ventures group. The brand said the investment would support product development and expansion into new markets. L Catterton’s Elevate Beauty fund led a second funding round in September 2024, with Manzanita Capital and New Incubation Ventures also participating. Elevate Beauty founding partner Cori Aleardi pointed to Vyrao’s retail distribution and customers’ interest in owning several of its scents. The financial terms remained undisclosed, according to the funding report on Vyrao’s website.
Career Income and Published Net Worth Estimates
Yasmin Abdallah’s career spans fashion leadership, retail consulting, and brand ownership, with limited public information about her personal earnings. When Tresalis acquired a majority stake in Vyrao in September 2026, she retained a minority interest and took on the role of chief brand officer. The acquisition terms remained undisclosed. TheCityCeleb estimates her net worth at $500,000 to $1 million, while Tooper Magazine gives a range of $1 million to $2 million. Both estimates lack a supporting breakdown of her earnings, assets, or debts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Yasmin Abdallah?
Yasmin Abdallah is an Australian fashion entrepreneur whose career spans retail buying, creative consulting, and fragrance. She built much of her fashion career in London.
Are Yasmin Abdallah and Yasmin Sewell the same person?
Yes. Abdallah is her birth name. She continued using Yasmin Sewell professionally after her marriage to actor Rufus Sewell ended.
How old is Yasmin Abdallah?
She is 50 years old as of November 2026. UK Companies House lists her birth month as January 1976.
Where is Yasmin Abdallah from?
She grew up in Sydney, Australia, in a Lebanese-Australian family. She spent part of her childhood in the coastal suburb of Maroubra.
What does Yasmin Abdallah do for a living?
She is Vyrao’s founder and chief brand officer. She leads the fragrance company’s creative and strategic direction.
What was Yasmin Cho?
Yasmin Cho was the fashion boutique she opened on Poland Street in London’s Soho in the late 1990s. It stocked work by emerging designers such as Rick Owens and Miguel Adrover.
Did Yasmin Abdallah work at Browns and Liberty?
Yes. She was buying director at Browns and later served as Liberty’s chief creative consultant, helping revamp its womenswear and accessories offering.
When was Yasmin Abdallah married to Rufus Sewell?
They married in 1999 in a register office ceremony and separated in 2000.
Who is Kyle Robinson?
Kyle Robinson is an Australian fashion entrepreneur who founded the wholesale showroom Paper Mache Tiger. He was married to Yasmin and helped co-found Être Cécile.
Does Yasmin Abdallah have children?
Yes. Yasmin and Kyle Robinson have two sons together, Knox Rocket and Renzo.
What is Vyrao, and when did she launch it?
Vyrao is a fragrance and wellbeing brand. Yasmin launched it at Selfridges in May 2021 with a collection of five perfumes.
What is Yasmin Abdallah’s estimated net worth?
TheCityCeleb estimates her net worth at $500,000 to $1 million, and Tooper Magazine gives a range of $1 million to $2 million. Both estimates lack a supporting breakdown of her assets, debts, or earnings.
Conclusion: Yasmin Abdallah’s Fashion Career, Family, and Vyrao
Yasmin Abdallah’s work has often started with how she wants people to feel. At Yasmin Cho, she wanted shoppers to feel welcome while discovering designers they might not have encountered elsewhere. With Vyrao, she started with the feeling she wanted a perfume to evoke and worked with a perfumer to find the notes that would express it. Taking time away from fashion to be with Knox and Renzo gave her room to pursue that idea. She now directs Vyrao’s creative strategy and retains a stake in the company following its acquisition by Tresalis. Read more celebrity profiles on AllTimeMagazine.
