Yousuf Bashir Qureshi

Yousuf Bashir Qureshi's talents and passions range from fashion design, photography and painting, to food science and farming. The cultivated man has been successful at anything he touches, including his recent project 'United Pakistan', a social program that he initiated amidst the recent flood disaster in Pakistan. Qureshi graduated from the University of Nebraska with a major in Food Sciences, a degree that would prepare him for his expected career as a landowner in the Interior Sindh of Pakistan. His transition into the art world began while he was working in the United States as a horse trainer, yet another unlikely inspiration. Qureshi's creative streak was recognized immediately when he began to design clothes for himself for his work. The designs became very popular and brought an Indian cavalier charm to the horse shows. After graduation Yousuf opened a fashion café in Lincoln, Nebraska, called the Silk Café, after the Silk route that runs along the Pakistani border. It was here that Yousuf learned the technicalities and craftsmanship of fashion design. The designer moved to Los Angeles in 1997 where Hollywood noticed the unique South Asian artistry of Bashir's aesthetics. His clientele reached the status of Oscar winners and notable figures alike. His talents impressed celebrities such as Sheryl Crow, Angelina Jolie, and Denzel Washington. The music industry also took notice of the prevailing far-east grandeur of Bashir's fashion, upon which Bashir designed Madonna's "Om Shanti" music video. Yousuf went on to design for some of fashion's biggest brands; including Kenneth Cole's first women's line Geisha. The self-made designer began spreading his imported style into fashion houses, by serving as a in-house designer at Givency, the House of Christian Lacroix, Bebe, BCBG, Arden B. and Lapis, to name a few. His designs were sold to major department stores- Nieman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Barney's, and Nordstrom. In 2004 Yousuf moved back to Pakistan on the wish of his best friend, his late grandfather, Zahir-ud-din Qureshi. His family warehouses became his nest to start his career as an artist, teacher and a student.