1. Aishwarya Rai

Okay, if your first reaction to this is WHAT?!! – We need to talk. We know her as an actress and Miss Universe, but she was a model much before any of this, so how could I not start this article with Aishwarya? There’s nobody quite like this Mangalore beauty with such beautiful eyes, hair, and skin. But, we are grateful that she started off as a model – because how else would we have discovered this beauty?

2. Padma Lakshmi

The damsel from Chennai, who was the mother of all supermodels of India, made a name for herself even before cultural diversity was a thing. It was pure serendipity that an agent discovered her at a quaint cafe in Madrid, Spain, and the rest is history. Her Paris Week assignment was only a start to her modeling career, and she soon became a supermodel as dusky beauties had started to become a thing. Padma Lakshmi is known for being the judge on ‘Masterchef Australia’, has acted in films and TV shows, and written her own cookbook. She traipsed through so many odds both personally and professionally, which is what makes her an inspiration to millions everywhere.

3. Archana Akhil Kumar

Another diva from Bangalore who was discovered right out of college. She walked in the Paris Fashion Week – and this is what all model dreams are made of. After her stint at the Paris Fashion Week, she bagged another big break when she was asked to participate in ‘Elite Look Of The Year’ in 2011 and made it to the final few. She has ever since been shuttling to and from New York, Paris, London and all other big fashion destinations. It’s been over 7 years that this twenty-something model set her foot into modeling, but she is still huge in the industry.

4. Bhumika Arora

Bhumika Arora, a name you would have heard of if you are even remotely into fashion, style, modeling, etc. After the legacy of Anjali Mendes, Ujjwala Raut, and other Indian supermodels who took the Indian modeling scene to the next level, we have people like Bhumika Arora amongst others that are carrying the baton. At 26, she first walked the ramp at the Paris Fashion Week and went all out the next three years with big names just getting added to the list. From sharing cover pages on magazines like ‘Elle’ to an individual cover story on Vogue, and making it to the Forbes ‘30 Under 30 List’, Bhumika Arora is a fighter and gives us inspiration for all the right reasons.

5. Nina Davuluri

Nina Davuluri is the first female of Indian descent to have won the ‘Miss America’ title. While there’s a lot of fluff about her being more American than Indian, we or anyone cannot deny that the world celebrated cultural diversity with her. She now hosts a show called ‘Made in America’ that airs on Zee TV America. She beat all odds to be where she is, and that’s the kind of inspiration we could all use.

6. Lakshmi Menon

Lakshmi Menon is one of the few Indian fashion models who has continuously been working with International model agencies from the time she first started modeling. Givenchy, Alexander Wang, Chanel, Stella McCartney, etc. are just a few big names she walked the ramp for. She is not a typecast of a dusky Indian beauty working her way towards bagging minuscule roles in Hollywood. From magazine covers to editorials all over US, UK, and Europe, Lakshmi Menon has set the world on fire.

7. Nicole Faria

India was all praises for Nicole Faria when she brought home the Miss India Earth title in 2010; it was the only title we won that year. Nicole, who is from Bengaluru, always knew that she had a strong affinity for modeling, and wanted to make it big in the industry. And, that’s precisely what she did. She has ever since been a staple at the runways, fashion shows, magazine cover, and all things supermodel-like!

8. Angela Jonsson

Angela Jonsson is not your average Indian model – her mother is from Mangalore and father is from Iceland. She aims to make it big in Bollywood soon. Her career took off when she was first signed up for the Kingfisher Calendar in 2011, which was and is still a big deal. From studying dance and taking up yoga to become a teacher and becoming a supermodel, Angela has a lot of firsts to her name. A bunch of magazine covers followed her first big stint, and there has been no looking back for her.

9. Radhika Nair

Radhika Nair is the first ever Indian model to walk the ramp for Balenciaga for its Spring/Summer collection 2017. She was popularly known as ‘that girl with curly hair,’ and worked for significant brands right after making her debut. If anything, stories like these give us reassurance that diversity still exists and provide enough validation for us or anyone else aspiring to be a supermodel. Are there any Indian Victoria’s Secret models? There are many Victoria’s Secret models from India. Monikangana Dutta was the first model from India to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel.Banner Image Credits: Instagram