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The 25-year-old model based in New York City and a architect by profession is the first Indian model to open a Chanel show
Model Bhavitha Mandava opened for the Chanel show that was staged on a subway platform in NYC
Bhavitha Mandava made fashion history as the first Indian model to open the show for Chanel in New York City. The model, who is originally from Hyderabad, opened the show that took place in the New York subway, just a year after being discovered on a subway platform in the city.
While it was a moment of pride for India and the model herself, it was her parents’ reaction to her opening the show that went viral. They were back home in India and recorded themselves watching the show live.
Bhavitha shared the video to her Instagram, and it has got around 1.8 million likes and counting. She wrote: “Can’t put into words how much this means to me.”
Watch the video that has gone viral:
Earlier this month, French luxury fashion house Chanel presented its Mtiers d’Art 2025–26 show in New York City. This marked creative director Matthieu Blazy and the label’s return to the city since 2018.
Bhavitha Mandava’s emotional Instagram Post
The 25-year-old took to Instagram to share a heartfelt post on how her life has changed since she took to the ramp for Chanel. The model wrote, “This past week has felt like a dream I am still learning to believe. Everything around me is sparkling with a kind of magic I never thought would find me.”
Sharing how she left India two years ago for the “first time with two suitcases, a heart full of hope and fear, and a massive student loan. I moved to New York City to study at @nyuniversity , to build a life I had only dreamed of. Somehow, in all its chaos, the city welcomed me (sic).”
Bhavitha went on to share how she was spotted by a model scout a year back and her journey to how that changed her life. She also shared her hesitation at becoming a model, as an Indian student who was studying to become an architect.
“Then, a year ago, at Atlantic Avenue subway station, @showinbishop scouted me. I said no, but we kept talking. When he mentioned I could pay off my student debt, suddenly no became maybe, okay, fine. Light poured in. He sent my photos to @bitton (Anita Bitton), a woman who has opened doors for so many people of color in fashion. Through her, I found myself in front of @matthieu_blazy (sic)”, she wrote.
The model went on to add that she “worked a job in the mornings, attended classes in the evenings, did homework at night, and flew to Europe every weekend to model. To everyone who supported me, from classmates and coworkers to professors, casting directors, creatives, my parents, and friends back home, I carry your kindness with me always.”
Doffing her hat to her parents, she wrote, “My parents never asked me to chase the extraordinary. They only wanted me to find happiness and peace in simplicity. Somehow, the extraordinary found me.”
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 10, 2025, 09:19 IST