Indian Models Are Ruling Global Runways; Meet The Women Who Led The Way

The world watched in awe as Bhavitha Mandava made history by opening the Chanel show in New York. And with no doubt, it will be touted as a notable moment in India’s place in global fashion. However, there also exists a legacy of lesser-known Indian models and supermodels who reigned over global runways and paved the way for today’s milestones.

Anjali Mendes

The first, in many ways, was Anjali Mendes. Born as Phyllis Mendes, she grew up in a Goan home with six siblings. After finishing her studies, she was a secretary for adman Bobby Sista. On her way to work, a girl on the same bus as her suggested she start modelling. 

When she arrived at a local fashion show, hoping to model, the show coordinator, Jeannie Naoroji, asked for contact lenses for her, and she ended up opening the show! Interestingly, she walked alongside literary icon Shobhaa De, erstwhile Shobha Rajyadakshya. 

Mendes was urged by many close ones to pursue the profession in an international forum. In 1971, she earned a hefty sum from a photoshoot displaying the jewels of the Maharaja of Jamnagar; she treated the wage as her gateway to the promised land of Paris and a meeting with couturier Pierre Cardin.  

Mendes arrived at Cardin's office and declared her wish to be a model to an assistant. The worldly nature of the assistant forced her to infer that it could’ve only been an Indian princess wishing to buy clothes, or so she informed a manager.  

Just short of a mere six hours, the visage of the sartorially gifted designer appeared before her. Cardin found her to be “fantastique” and announced she would be a house model. She ended up becoming his muse for all of his collections in the upcoming decade. 

Her name was changed to Anjali on the suggestion of the then-Editor of the WWD, John Fairchild, who believed it would be impossible to make history with the name Phyllis. So, Mendes rang up the Times of India correspondent in Paris, Dileep Padgaonkar, who suggested Geetanjali, which was then shortened. 

It seems ironic that the Indian media almost refused to appreciate the presence of Anjali Mendes, referring to her as an “Ethiopian princess” and perceiving her as too tall or too dark, and it took fashion labels in Paris to recognise her talent & beauty. I guess the sentiment of betrayal does truly never come from enemies.

Kirat Young

It’s interesting to note that the Indian model serving as a muse for a French designer seems to be an irrefutable trope, as unavoidable similarities appear between the stories of Anjali Mendes & Kirat Young. 

At 19 years of age, Young was studying at Lucie Clayton College in London when she took an unsuspecting holiday in the seemingly wonderland-like city of Paris. A journalist introduced the designer Yves Saint Laurent and Kirat. And that was the moment a historic duo was created. 

Soon enough, Young walked the ramp for the iconic “Ballet Russes” collection in 1976.  While the collection was impactful enough, she was given the best clothes of the collection and ended up on the pages of American Vogue! 

The chance encounter led to Kirat Young becoming a legendary model, being seen on the runways of Chanel, Valentino and Oscar De La Renta,  and serving as one of Saint Laurent’s muses for the years to come. 

 In fact, an interesting tidbit is one instance in the 1980s when Young returned from her Christmas break to India, she entered the fitting room with her anklet on. The designer loved it so much that it showed up in the collection!

However, a point of contrast between the two stories is that YSL refused to work with Anjali Mendes! It was allegedly as a result of Saint Laurent’s preferences in terms of body type.

Over the years, more Indian models graced the runways of the global couture – the likes of Ujjwala Raut & Lakshmi Menon captured the attention of Western designers through the recent decades.

Now, with the advent of the presence of more progressive attitudes within the fashion world, Indian models such as Avanti Nagrath have established a reputation on the ramps.

Yet, it remains essential to honour the trendsetters and those who broke through the barriers with their career.

Article by Jai Shah, freelance fashion writer. Views expressed by the author's own.