Yara Shahidi's style evolution in 42 photos: red carpet tot to 'Grown-ish' star

The actress, activist, scholar, designer and model is a regular on 'best dressed' lists around the world

A young Yara Shahidi, in a green dress, arrives for the premiere of 'Imagine That' in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2009. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a purple ruffled dress, arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of 'How To Train Your Dragon' on March 21, 2010. FilmMagic

Yara Shahidi wears pink and white for the gala presentation for the film 'Butter' at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2011. Reuters

Yara Shahidi wears a yellow midi-dress for a screening of 'Butter' on November 6, 2011. Reuters

Yara Shahidi wears a trouser and blazer set to attend the 'Alex Cross' premiere with her brother Sayeed Shahidi on October 15, 2012. EPA

Yara Shahidi wears a blush pink gown for the Dream Halloween event in Santa Monica on October 27, 2012. AFP

Yara Shahidi wears a patterned maxi shirt and black top to attend 12th Annual Young Hollywood issue party of 'Teen Vogue' on September 26, 2014, in Beverly Hills. WireImage

Yara Shahidi, in a denim shirt and white skirt, arrives for the American Music Awards on November 23, 2014. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in gold shorts with a floral top, arrives for the Radio Disney Music Awards at Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles on April 25, 2015. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in jeans and a red military jacket, arrives for the 'Pitch Perfect 2' premiere on May 8, 2015. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a green two-piece, arrives for the Radio Disney Music Awards in Los Angeles on April 30, 2016. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in cream and gold Clara Rotescu, arrives for the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on September 18, 2016. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a printed pantsuit by Alberta Ferretti, with 'Glamour' editor Cindi Leive and former US first lady Michelle Obama during the A Brighter Future: A Global Conversation on Girls' Education conference in Washington on October 11, 2016. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a graphic, black-and-white gown from by Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, arrives for the People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles on January 18, 2017. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in striped Naeem Khan, arrives for the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on January 92, 2017. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a black mini with a white ruffled shirt, attends the MTV Movie & TV Awards in Los Angeles on May 7, 2017. EPA

Yara Shahidi wears clashing Gucci prints and textures for the MTV Movie and TV Awards on May 7, 2017. EPA

Yara Shahidi wears embellished Prada to arrive at the 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on September 17, 2017. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in clashing Prada, arrives for the American Music Awards on November 19, 2017. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in purple Giambattista Valli, arrives for the 23rd annual Critics' Choice Awards on January 11, 2018. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a black Ralph Lauren Collection jumpsuit, arrives for the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 21, 2018. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in metallic Chanel, attends the brand's haute couture spring/summer 2018 show during Paris Fashion Week on January 23, 2018. Getty Images

Yara Shahidi, in black embellished Reem Acra, arrives for the Time 100 Gala in New York on April 24, 2018. EPA

Yara Shahidi wears Chanel for the Met Gala in New York on May 7, 2018. EPA

Yara Shahidi wears a Chanel tailored dress to arrive at the launch of Les Eaux De Chanel in Deauville, France on June 7, 2018. Getty Images

Yara Shahidi, in ice blue Tory Burch, arrives for the MTV Movie and TV Awards on June 16, 2018. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in red ruffled Prada, arrives for the 'Crazy Rich Asians' premiere held at TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood on August 7, 2018. Getty Images

Yara Shahidi wears pink Gucci for the 70th annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on September 17, 2018. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in blue geometric Chanel, arrives at the premiere of 'Smallfoot' in Los Angeles on September 22, 2018. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a blush pink Fendi gown, arrives for the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on January 27, 2019. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in black and metallic Balmain, arrives at the 50th NAACP Image Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 30, 2019. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in black sequinned Balmain, during the 50th NAACP Image Awards on March 30, 2019. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in embellished Prada with a feather cape, arrives for the Met Gala on May 6, 2019. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in a Monse top and trouser pairing, arrives for the CFDA Awards at The Brooklyn Museum in New York on June 3, 2019. FilmMagic

Yara Shahidi, in a white-belted jumpsuit by Cos, attends the Power Of Inclusion Summit at Aotea Centre on October 3, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. Getty Images

Yara Shahidi, in khaki, attends the The Power Of Inclusion Summit in Auckland on October 4, 2019. Getty Images

Yara Shahidi, in pink Stella McCartney, speaks to Barack Obama during the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, Illinois on October 29, 2019. Getty Images

Yara Shahidi, in gold Gucci, poses with rapper Tyler, the Creator at the 2019 LACMA Art and Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum on November 2, 2019. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in embellished mint-green Gucci, arrives at the 51st NAACP Image Awards in California, on February 22, 2020. EPA

Yara Shahidi, in metallic Gucci, is seen backstage at the brand's autumn/winter Milan Fashion Week show on February 19, 2020. Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 16: Yara Shahidi attends the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards at the Hollywood Palladium on May 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS)

Yara Shahidi, in green Dior Haute Couture, attends the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards on September 19, 2021 in Los Angeles. AFP

There is no one box to tick when it comes to Yara Shahidi, she's an actress, activist, scholar, designer and model. The same is certainly true for her style; for every sleek pantsuit the Black-ish star has worn, there is a prim-and-proper gown, statement dress, clashing two-piece or geometric mini.

The star, 21, has grown up in the public eye. Having first starred in Imagine That opposite Eddie Murphy in 2009, she then graced red carpets wearing cute colour-blocked dresses.

However, as she made a name for herself as a young fashionista in Hollywood, designers rushed to dress her. It wasn't long before she was sporting designs by Virgil Abloh, Fendi and Balmain on the red carpet. She has also worn pieces by regional ateliers, including Elie Saab and Reem Acra.

Haute couture maisons are among the favourites of the star, who regularly wears designs by Chanel, Gucci and Prada, and has been a stalwart on their fashion week front rows.

“I think fashion has always been a political tool. And I think we’ve seen how fashion has been crucial in telling a narrative story,” she said in a speech at the Power Of Inclusion Summit 2019. “Oftentimes I think I try and use fashion to be as unabashedly myself as possible.”

This has been reflected in her own designs. Earlier this year, the actress teamed up with Adidas to create a sportswear collection that draws inspiration from her multicultural upbringing.

The Grown-ish star's father, Afshin Shahidi, is Iranian and her mother, Keri Shahidi, is African-American. Shahidi's first collection for the sportswear giant featured Farsi text and Iranian architecture-inspired patterns. The sophomore collection references her Iranian grandfather’s rug shop in its prints and colour choices, and also features her name in Farsi.

"So much of what I wanted to convey was about the ways we choose to express our cultures and identities," Shahidi told Vogue of the collection.

“It may seem like a lofty goal to try and communicate those messages through articles of clothing, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”