Bhavitha Mandava, 25, a model from Hyderabad, opened Chanel’s Métiers d’art 2026 collection in New York after being spotted at a New York subway station just two weeks before the Spring/Summer 2025 season. Matthieu Blazy first cast her; she made her debut as a Bottega Veneta exclusive before stepping out for Chanel.
Before modeling, Bhavitha studied architecture and later moved to the United States to study assistive technology at NYU. Her entry into fashion was sudden: a chance discovery on the subway led to a rapid ascent onto high-fashion runways.
She shared a moving video of her parents watching her open the Chanel show, thanking Chanel and Matthieu Blazy and saying she couldn’t fully express what the moment meant to her. The clip has drawn millions of views and captures her mother and father beaming as she descends the stairs at Bowery Station.
Fashion influencer Viren H Shah highlighted the striking contrast between where she was discovered and where she now walks, noting she was found “in the most ordinary of places, a New York City subway,” and then went on to open a Chanel show staged in a train station. Industry figures and viewers—including Karlie Kloss—responded with praise and heart emojis, celebrating Bhavitha’s swift rise and her parents’ visible pride.
