Bhavitha Mandava has made history as the first Indian model to open a Chanel show and now graces the March 2026 cover of British Vogue
Bhavitha Mandava, 25, has cemented her place in the fashion world with a historic debut at Chanel and her first international cover for British Vogue. The NYU graduate became the first Indian woman to open a Chanel runway show in December 2025, a moment captured on video by her parents’ emotional reactions that went viral worldwide.
In her March 2026 British Vogue interview, Mandava reflected on the cultural significance of her achievements. She said that opening the Chanel show was a deeply personal milestone, which unexpectedly became symbolic of broader questions about beauty standards and representation. “In the West, it touched on this question of who gets to be included in the idea of beauty and whether Indian women are even allowed to be seen as traditionally beautiful. In India, colourism is really so deep-rooted. People said I looked like ‘any girl on the street’ because fair skin has often been treated as the default. I don’t think it’s really about me, it’s culture renegotiating itself,” she explained.
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Beyond personal success, Mandava emphasised the impact of her visibility on the South Asian diaspora. She revealed that she has received countless messages from mothers using her images to help their daughters embrace their natural skin tones. “I’ve got so many emails from people who say my success feels like a personal win for them. There are mums who tell me they show their daughters my photo and it makes these little brown girls feel better about their skin tone,” she shared.
Looking ahead, Mandava acknowledged the unexpected trajectory of her life but embraced the opportunities of the high-fashion world. “Life has become so strange, there are so many plot twists and weird turns that I genuinely don’t know what the future holds. Although let’s be for real, after doing something so glamorous, travelling the world and everything else that comes with modelling, who can really go back to a nine-to-five?”
Bhavitha Mandava’s achievements mark a significant step forward for diversity and representation in global fashion, positioning her as a role model for aspiring models from India and the diaspora.
Published: 12 Feb 2026, 08:59 pm IST
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