Top 10 Famous Female Models in India
Fashion models are professionals who work with designers and brands and help showcase their products – garments, accessories, footwear, and so on – by walking on runways, posing for commercial shoots, and appearing in ads. They represent brands and allow designers to understand how their products look on the wearer.
India’s women models have had a significant influence internationally. From working with high-fashion brands including Dior, Chanel, and LV and promoting diversity to being featured in fashion magazines and winning pageants, models like Lakshmi Menon, Bhumika Arora, and Varshita Thatavarthi have proven that Indian talent truly belongs on the world stage.
Keep reading to learn about the top 10 female models in India redefining beauty, fashion, and runway trends with their global influence and captivating presence.
Top 10 Female Models in India
The Indian fashion landscape is gradually becoming more diverse and welcoming for models of every body type and skin color, allowing young people to shatter stereotypes around unrealistic beauty standards and embrace their true selves.
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Here are some of the most famous Indian female models who have made it big internationally and made the country proud with their representation, dedication to social causes, and a series of achievements.
- Carol Gracias
Indian supermodel Carol Gracias is popular for winning the ‘Elite Look Of The Year’ title by L’Oreal India. She has walked in fashion shows, including the Lakme Fashion Week, and appeared in music videos in Hindi movies in the early 2000s-2010s.
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Carol was a contestant in ‘Bigg Boss 1’, finishing as the first runner-up, and later appeared in ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 2’, finishing as the second runner-up.
She became the face of diversity and body positivity in Indian runways when she walked, while heavily pregnant, for Gaurang Shah’s Spring/Resort 16 collection. Still in the initial years of a diverse fashion scene, she was one of the professionals who paved the way for fashion models to defy the restrictive, unrealistic beauty standards.
- Sruthy Sithara
Sruthy Sithara is an Indian model and actor who is primarily known for winning the pageant Miss Trans Global in 2021. She is the first Indian trans woman to win an international beauty pageant.
Do you want free career counseling?
Ignite Your Ambitions- Seize the Opportunity for a Free Career Counseling Session.Apart from modeling, she has worked in Malayalam cinema and is associated with LGBTQ+ rights advocacy.
Sruthy has won the ‘Queen of Dhwayah’, a beauty pageant for transwomen in Kerala. She has founded the online campaign ‘Kaleidoscope’, focusing on LGBTQ+ rights, and the ‘Rise Up Forum’, dedicated to social and environmental issues.
- Varshita Thatavarthi
Varshita Thatavarthi is an Indian supermodel who has worked extensively for Sabyasachi Mukherjee. She is known for breaking stereotypes and promoting body positivity and diversity in modeling.
Varshita T has appeared on Dhruv Kapoor’s digital presentation for Milano Fashion Week and collaborated with the beauty brand Kay Beauty, founded by Actor Katrina Kaif in Partnership with Nykaa.
She advocates for a more ethical and accessible fashion landscape, challenging the norms around body type and skin color that persist in the industry, inspiring young women to embrace their passion for the craft.
- Bhumika Arora
An Indian Fashion Model, Bhumika Arora, was named the ‘Next Indian Supermodel’ by Vogue India in 2016, after being featured on its cover. She has since worked with multiple acclaimed magazines, designers, and high-fashion brands.
Bhumika has featured in the editorials of magazines like Vogue, Elle USA, Marie Claire Italia, L’Officiel India, and Interview Germany.
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In her breakout season, fall 2015, she walked for several eminent designers at the New York Fashion Week, including Alexander Wang and Vera Wang.
The same season, she walked for Gareth Pugh, Jonathan Saunders, Simone Rocha, and other prominent labels at her debut in London Fashion Week and for Karl Lagerfeld at the Fendi Show in Milan.
From Chanel, Fendi, Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and D&G, to Manish Arora, Viktor and Rolf, Stella McCartney, and Prabal Gurung, she has worked with some of the leading brands and designers in the global fashion landscape.
- Lakshmi Menon
Lakshmi Menon is one of the top female models in India, known for working with international designers and magazines.
Although she started working as a model during her college days, a significant career breakthrough came when she worked at Jean Paul Gaultier’s Chanel show. Subsequently, she worked at Hermes catwalk and campaigns for brands like H&M, Givenchy, Bloomingdale, Nordstrom, D&G, and more.
She is the first Indian model to be featured in the Pirelli Calendar (2011) and was photographed by Karl Lagerfeld.
Menon has appeared in the editorials of acclaimed global fashion magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Indian Elle, Allure, and V Magazine.
- Nidhi Sunil
Nidhi Sunil is known for receiving Vogue India’s ‘Model of the Year’ award in 2021 and being one of the global ambassadors of L’Oreal. She has modelled for the Nu Muses calendar and worked in movies like ‘Gangoobai’ and ‘Kaash’.
A model and an actress, Nidhi has appeared in international magazines including Vogue, GQ, Elle Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar, and has worked for campaigns by Garnier, Forever 21, The Gap, and Esprit.
- Bani J
Gurabani Judge is an Indian fitness model, actor, and VJ. She is particularly popular for her role in the Amazon Prime series Four More Shots Please and reality TV shows such as ‘MTV Roadies 4’ and ‘Bigg Boss 10’.
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Her fitness training and dedication to a health-conscious lifestyle and workout routines have garnered huge followings on social media and motivated young women to pursue their dreams of fitness modeling.
Bani J is also known for promoting Myprotein – A sports nutrition brand, and the fitness brand – Mobiefit BODY.
- Manushi Chillar
Manushi Chillar is an Indian model and the winner of Miss World 2017 and Femina Miss India World 2017.
With India winning the Miss World pageant after 17 years, Manushi became instantly popular around the country.
Her entrepreneurial ventures include Dweep, a sustainable and diversity-focused women’s swimwear and resort-wear brand created in collaboration with Stylist Sheefa J Gilani, and Soma Wellness, a holistic wellness brand she co-owns.
Manushi has ventured into acting, making her debut with ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ alongside Akshay Kumar, and has contributed to several social causes, including participating in the ‘World Menstrual Hygiene Day’ march in Delhi, the ‘Fit India’ Campaign, and the ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ campaign.
- Nicole Faria
A model and actor, Nicole Faria, is the winner of the title ‘Miss Earth’ 2010 – the first Indian woman to receive the title. She received a presidential award and was honored by the Ministry of Women and Child Development for her pioneering achievement.
Nicole made her Bollywood debut in the movie ‘Yaariyan’ in 2014 and has continuously advocated for environmental causes, the most prominent being the effect of pollution on the Rabindra Sarobar Lake in Kolkata.
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Faria has been a brand ambassador for multiple popular brands, including Frederique Constant and Clean & Clear, and has appeared on the 2014 Kingfisher Calendar.
She has also featured in fashion and lifestyle magazines like Elle, Vogue, Man’s World Magazine, and Cosmopolitan, and walked at Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW), Southeast Asia’s largest Fashion event.
- Rachel Gupta
Rachel Gupta is the first Indian model to win the title of Miss Grand International in 2024. She has also previously won the Miss Super Talent of the World 2022.
She has appeared in several fashion and beauty campaigns and walked in different fashion shows. Her modeling career has led her to collaborate with acclaimed brands and have a massive following of over 1 million on social media.
Apart from modeling, Gupta is an actor, entrepreneur, and the founder of Glam Bar, a beauty and entertainment venture.
Conclusion
The top female models in India are celebrated for their extraordinary wins in acclaimed international beauty pageants, setting records, working with some of the most well-known brands and designers, advocating for social causes, and representing India and its diversity in the global fashion industry.
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If you, too, are looking forward to becoming a fashion model, start by honing your skills and perfecting your walk and posture. You can also enroll in a professional course to learn more about the industry, how it functions, and how to network and create an impactful portfolio.
AAFT Noida’s School of Fashion Design offers comprehensive diploma programs where you can learn from industry professionals and kickstart a rewarding career in modeling.
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