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.
Two years ago, I left India 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.
Then, a year ago, at Atlantic Avenue subway station, my now agent who 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 , a woman who has opened doors for so many people of color in fashion.
Through her, I found myself in front of
@matthieu_blazy . Since meeting him, the world feels brighter, softer, and full of possibility.
After my debut, I 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.
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.
I never imagined opening for such a prestigious brand as an immigrant and a woman of color. Thank you,
@chanelofficial &
@matthieu_blazy .
![With a smile – and an origin story – to lift the mood, architecture graduate turned model-of-the-moment @BhavithaMandava is the essence of fashion’s heartening new spirit this season. As she makes her debut on the #BritishVogue cover for March 2026, head of editorial content @ChiomaNnadi discerns a welcome dash of optimism in the air as she sits down with the runway’s rising star. Click the link in bio to read the interview, and see the full story in the new issue, on newsstands Tuesday 24 February.#BhavithaMandava wears a jacket and skirt by @ChanelOfficial and jewellery by @Chopard, photographed by @OliverHadleePearch and styled by @SarrJamois, with hair by @SamMcKnight1, make-up by @MelArter, nails by @ManicuredBySimone, set design by @Tomotattle and production by @Partner.Films.[Image Description: Image shows Bhavitha Mandava photographed against a bright blue background. She has her hands on her hips and her hair is windswept around her face, she is beaming and looking directly into the camera. She is wearing a colourful striped jacket in a textured fabric. Above her head, the Vogue strapline in white lettering. The cover also reads: “Feel the joy: A new mood for spring.”]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6766153248253867571514_0_d15ce0d9415d8e4a88c4375391c004ee.jpg?o=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&h=506802668cd5defb6d79140f92079f04)
