Indian Models On International Runways

The year was 1970, when Kirat Bhinder, a 19-year-old young model hailing from Dehradun met the iconic couturier Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. History took no time in making. Soon Kirat took over the French capital as not just a YSL muse but walked for the likes of Armani, Chanel, and Valentino. Punctuating the runways otherwise, chock-a-block with European models, with her exotic skin tone and thick black hair, Kirat forayed into the territories of fame as one of the first Indian faces. Other names that rubbed shoulders with global stardom were Anjali Mendes, a Goa native who played Pierre Cardin’s muse for a number of years and Marielou Phillips, once again a Saint Laurent discovery, who later on became Chanel India’s Global Head of Press and Public Relations.

Over the past two decades, names such as Ujjwala Raut, Laxmi Menon, and Padma Lakshmi have also registered a strong presence globally.

However, until recently there was a very selective number of Indian faces becoming the subject of international intrigue. Lately, with names such as Pooja Mor, Radhika Nair, and Deepti Sharma, it seems Indian faces are all set to become a norm rather being limited to an exotic exception.

Here are the Indian models who are setting the global runways on fire -

Pooja Mor

Originally hailing from UP, Pooja garnered international attention when she walked for Louis Vuitton runway for their Cruise Show collection in 2015. And what followed was a line up of international brands such as Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli and Alexander McQueen. She has graced the covers for international publications such as Vogue Arabia and Harpers Bazaar India.

Radhika Nair

27-year-old Radhikawas born in Kerela and brought in Jharkhand. A brief meeting with casting director Henry Mackintosh Thomas landed her a major international gig. She walked for Demna Gvasalia Balenciaga SS17 show in Paris and the rest is history. Today a familiar face on the international runways, Radhika has appeared in runway shows for labels such as Lacoste, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs and Mulberry to name a few.

Dipti Sharma

Born in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, Dipti’s journey to fame took its own time. While she was studying English in her college she participated in a beauty pageant in 2015 and was crowned ‘Miss Rampwalk’. She finally entered a competition titled Elite Model Look Of India and went to compete in its international rounds. And the rest is history. Since then Dipti has become a familiar face on international runways for labels such as Balenciaga, Dolce and Gabbana and Erdem x H&M.

Natasha Ramachandran

Natasha was not allowed to wear heels till she was 15, but this former NIFT graduate wanted to make it large on the runway. She made Mumbai her base and made her debut at the Lakme Fashion Week. Post that she got her initial international assignments in London and since then Natasha has never looked back.