Darjeeling-born model Mona Bhujel opens up about her Chanel debut, the rejections that shaped her journey and the need for greater representation of the Northeast in fashion
If Paris Fashion Week had a heartbeat, it was beating for Mona Bhujel. The girl from North-East India — long underrepresented, long underestimated walked into CHANEL’s latest show at the Grand Palais like she owned the Champs-Élysées and honestly, she did. While cameras flashed for front-row stars like Dua Lipa and Nicole Kidman, all eyes on the runway snapped to Look 17 — Mona in that sheer black blouse with spaghetti straps and floral detail, the gingham skirt and jacket, the leather belt, the iconic Chanel bag.
A dream delayed, not denied
Scouted in 2020, just before the pandemic brought fashion to a standstill, Mona faced a string of rejections when the industry reopened. Her CHANEL moment made the wait worthwhile. “Some days they hurt, but I learned not to read every ‘no’ as the end of the story. I kept working on myself, showing up to the next casting and trusting that if this was meant for me, the right opportunity would come. Walking for Chanel felt like all the waiting finally made sense. It reminds me that the journey sometimes takes longer than you expect, but that doesn’t mean you’re not moving forward.”
More than a face
Coming from an Indian-Nepali background, Mona hopes her success will open doors for more talent from the Northeast, a region she believes remains underrepresented in fashion. “I do feel that sometimes the industry wants my face but not my story. For a long time, there’s been a fascination with the look of the Northeast but less curiosity about the people behind it, our languages, our food, our communities. I come from an Indian-Nepali background and that’s part of who I am, not a detail to leave at the door. I hope that when people see me at a show like Chanel, it opens a door for others from our region and conversations move from ‘she looks different’ to ‘she’s interesting, wonder what her story is.’”
Beyond the diversity box
Mona says she has not personally been pushed into stereotypical roles, though she is aware such labels exist. “I know it exists, so I stay clear about my range and the kind of work I want to do.”
She also says her experience with international brands has been positive. “I do feel included. Working with international brands, I have felt respected as a professional, not just used to tick a diversity box. For me, real inclusion is being valued for who I am and what I bring.”
From Darjeeling to CHANEL, Mona Bhujel is putting Northeast India on the global fashion map, walking Matthieu Blazy’s Spring/Summer 2027 show alongside Indian models Bhavitha Mandava and Lakshmi Menon.
I come from an Indian-Nepali background and that’s part of who I am, not a detail to leave at the door. I hope that when people see me at a show like Chanel, it opens a door for others from our region and conversations move from ‘
