From NYU's MakerSpace to Fashion’s Biggest Runways: The Journey of Bhavitha Mandava (‘25)

"A house is generally the biggest investment someone will ever make," Bhavitha Mandava says of her decision to pursue architecture for her bachelor’s degree. "Architectural design has a major impact on how people live, and even after an architect passes away, their work lives on." That sense of creating something enduring drew her to the field from a young age, but her ambitions gradually expanded beyond designing homes for individual clients.

Mandava began envisioning a different kind of impact: instead of designing a house for one person, she could, perhaps, design products used by millions. That vision led her from India to NYU Tandon School of Engineering, where she pursued a master’s degree in Integrated Design and Media — a program that allowed her to merge her design sensibilities with cutting-edge technology.

The decision wasn’t easy. She knew she would miss her parents, whom she calls her best friends, and the financial stretch was significant. But after winning a small scholarship, Mandava found the courage to believe she just might be able to make it work. "You have to make sacrifices and take risks to reach your goals," she reflects.

Making a Home at the MakerSpace

To manage her living expenses, Mandava took a position as a design lab coordinator at the Design Lab in NYU's MakerSpace. What began as a practical necessity became something far more meaningful. At the MakerSpace, she found not just employment but a community, with supervisors Liz New and Molly Ritmiller and coworkers who became close friends, now feeling like family. Their support extended beyond professional guidance; Mandava recalls how her manager brought her Indian snacks after learning she was struggling to adjust to American food when she first moved to New York City.

That sense of belonging has stayed with her, even as her life has taken unexpected turns into worlds far removed from NYU and the MakerSpace.

A Cinematic Twist

During the summer of 2024, halfway through her degree and unsure of her next steps, Mandava was spotted on the subway by a modeling scout. She initially said no, but agreed to pursue the opportunity when he mentioned that modeling could be a way to pay off her student debt. Within two weeks, she found herself in Milan in front of Matthieu Blazy, then the creative director of Bottega Veneta, who took her in as one of his muses.

On December 2, 2025, Mandava served as the opening model in Chanel's Métiers d'Art show, held, ironically enough, on the platform of the disused Bowery station on New York’s Lower East Side. The show, one of fashion's most prestigious events, celebrates the specialized craftspeople behind haute couture, and it is often held in unusual locales. This year, the subway was reportedly chosen to highlight the theme of “democracy, diversity, and dressing up," inspired by New York's eclectic subway riders.

Fashion insiders were quick to hail Mandava, who became the first Indian model in history to open a Chanel show, as a bright new light in the industry. For many, such an entrance into high fashion might eclipse previous achievements, but she remains down-to-earth and loyal. Despite traveling in relatively glamorous circles nowadays, she prefers the company of her NYU and MakerSpace colleagues, the people who knew her while she balanced coursework, campus employment, and dreams of designing marketable technology.

Her journey from architecture student in India to Integrated Design and Media graduate to international runway model may be unconventional, but it seems fitting for someone who has always been hungry to learn and grow. Whether designing spaces, creating digital experiences, or walking fashion's most celebrated runways, Mandava brings the same qualities: dedication, vision, and an understanding of what makes work meaningful.