Credit: Instagram/@bhavithamandava
A 25-year-old architecture graduate has become the first Indian model to open a Chanel Métiers d’Art show.
Bhavitha Mandava led the French house’s 2026 Métiers d’Art presentation on Dec. 2 inside an abandoned Bowery subway station.
“I never imagined opening for such a prestigious brand as an immigrant and a woman of color,” she wrote on Instagram.
Mandava moved to New York from Hyderabad to pursue a master’s degree at NYU when former Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy scouted her on a subway platform in 2024. He cast her for his Spring/Summer 2025 show, and later brought her to Chanel after taking over the storied house.
Her opening turn at Métiers d’Art—a show that highlights Chanel’s craft ateliers and typically features established models.
She wrote on Instagram, “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… Somehow, the extraordinary found me.”