# Bhavitha Mandava

> Indian model from Hyderabad who was scouted on a New York subway platform in 2024 while studying at NYU. In December 2025 she opened Matthieu Blazy’s first Chanel Métiers d’art show, and in March 2026 Chanel named her a house ambassador.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/rising/bhavitha-mandava
- Status: Emerging · Talent Watch (unnumbered)
- Nationality: India
- Specialty: Runway / campaigns
- Agency: Women Management · Paris; Why Not Model Management; Premier Model Management · London; 28Models
- Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavitha_Mandava
- Editor: Kaiser Khan
- Sources reviewed: 2026-09-25

## Why she is on the watch

Mandava is widely reported as the first Indian model to open a Chanel show. Her runway debut came at Bottega Veneta under Blazy; within a year she was central to his Chanel casting and, in March 2026, a house ambassador — a role Chanel has historically given to its defining runway faces.

## Selected milestones

- 2025-12 — [Opened Chanel’s Métiers d’art 2026 show, Matthieu Blazy’s first for the house, in a disused New York subway station](https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/69261/1/bhavitha-mandava-first-ever-indian-model-opened-chanel-metiers-dart-show)
- 2025-12-24 — [Ranked first in FashionUnited’s list of the leading female runway models of the year](https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/top-10-female-runway-models-2026-bhavitha-mandava-and-more/2025122469776)
- 2026-03 — [Named a Chanel house ambassador](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/markelibert/chanel-bhavitha-mandava-house-ambassador)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — Bhavitha Mandava](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavitha_Mandava)
- [Dazed — first Indian model to open a Chanel show, December 2025](https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/69261/1/bhavitha-mandava-first-ever-indian-model-opened-chanel-metiers-dart-show)
- [Complex — named a Chanel house ambassador, March 2026](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/markelibert/chanel-bhavitha-mandava-house-ambassador)
- [FashionUnited — top 10 female runway models 2026](https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/top-10-female-runway-models-2026-bhavitha-mandava-and-more/2025122469776)
- [Premier Model Management — portfolio](https://www.premiermodelmanagement.com/women/image/6420-bhavitha-mandava/)