Born in Amsterdam in 1945, Shamask immigrated to Australia as a teenager and moved to London at age 21 to paint and work as a fashion illustrator for The Times and The Observer. In 1972 he relocated to the United States, where he worked as a stage designer for ballet and theatre and as an interior architect. In 1979 he launched his fashion business with Murray Moss and the two remained partners until 1990. In 1996 he launched his own company, SHAMASK. Over his career he has received many accolades including the Coty American Fashion Critics Award for Womens Wear in 1981 and Outstanding Mens Designer from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1987. In 1982, Shamask was included in the landmark exhibition Intimate Architecture: Contemporary Clothing Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work has been featured in numerous museum exhibitions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Kyoto Costume Institute, and The Fashion Institute of Technology. Only rarely are his collections shown on the runway; Shamask focuses on a select client base including a number of luxury retailers.