Bhavitha Mandava (born February 3, 2000) is an Indian fashion model. She gained global recognition in 2025 after being the first Indian woman to open a show for Chanel at the Métiers d'Art show 2026.
Early life Mandava was born into a middle class Telugu family in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and was raised in Hyderabad, India. She studied architecture at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad. After earning her bachelor's degree, she moved to New York City to pursue a Master of Science in Integrated Design & Media/Human Computer Interaction from the New York University. Mandava has a brother, like her he also moved from India to study in the United States, completing a Masters of Business Analytics at the University of Cincinnati, Carl H. Lindner College of Business.https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejaswi-mandava-1149a81aa/
Career Mandava began her career after she was scouted on a subway station platform by model agent Showin Bishop in 2024 at Atlantic Avenue station in Brooklyn, New York City. In September 2024, she walked as a exclusive model in designer Matthieu Blazy's Milan Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2025 show and subsequently featured in the campaign. The same month she walked for Dior's Spring/Summer 2025 show in Paris. She walked major fashion weeks, while completing her studies.
In December 2025, she made history as the first Indian model ever to open a Chanel runway show the prestigious Métiers d'Art 2026 collection. The show was held on a subway platform at Manhattan's Bowery station. Bhavitha's live reaction video of her supportive mother and father crying with pride whilst watching her open went viral.
In February 2026, Mandava made her debut magazine cover for British Vogue for March 2026 Vogue Cover Star. In March, she was named the House ambassador for Chanel, became the first ever Indian model to be the House ambassador for the Chanel brand. The same month, she also made her second magazine cover for I.D.
In July 2026, Mandava was announced as cast in the all Indian 2027 Pirelli calender, she was shot alongside Padma Lakshmi, Anoushka Shankar, Freida Pinto, Rupi Kaur, Aditi Rao Hydari, Avantika Vandanapu, Avani Rai and Lakshmi Menon, along with 200 people from the streets of India. Mandava said of the experience "I wasn't very enthusiastic about the past eroticism of the Pirelli calender" and "I like to think my race isn't the most interesting thing about me".
In 2026, she was recognised as Forbes 30 under 30 Asia global rising starshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/ranawehbe/2026/05/27/from-bhanvitha-mandava-to-tarmo-peltokoski-meet-the-30-under-30-asia-rising-stars-shining-on-the-global-stage/, and was ranked on Models.com top 50 models.
Public image Bhavitha made her debut for the Met Gala in May 2026, wearing Chanel "Haute Couture reinterpretation" of the look she wore to open Chanel’s Métiers d’Art show, the look going viral for dividing the internet, some felt it was understated, others felt it was underwhelming. In September, she made her highly anticipated red carpet debut at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival where she attended the premiere of Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?. She wore a "turquoise Chanel mermaid gown" that took 1,250 hours to embroider by hand and British Vogue named her one of the standout best–dressed moments of the festival.
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