Bhavitha Mandava's Met Gala 2026 Chanel 'Jeans' Look Sparks Backlash as Designer Intent Is Revealed

If there is one word to describe the Met Gala, it would be 'spectacle'. Known as 'fashion's biggest night', the annual event at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art brings together celebrities, designers, and cultural figures in a showcase of glam and glamour. Every attendee is expected to bring a carefully curated look that aligns with the year's theme while still making a bold personal statement that stands out in a highly competitive fashion showcase.

However, amidst the usual sea of dramatic gowns and elaborate couture, one personality drew particular attention. Indian model Bhavitha Mandava appeared in what looked like a simple jeans-inspired ensemble. The look sparked immediate backlash online against Chanel, with critics accusing the fashion house of underplaying her moment on the red carpet.

From Subway Discovery to Rise in Fashion

Hailing from Hyderabad, India, Bhavitha Mandava is a 26-year-old model who graduated from New York University. In 2024, she was discovered by a modelling agency while waiting for a subway in Brooklyn. Her pictures were later sent to renowned casting director Anita Bitton, who then shared them with Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy, who at that time was the creative director of Bottega Veneta.

Weeks after being discovered, Mandava was cast in Blazy's spring/summer 2025 show. In December 2025, she made history as the first Indian model to open a Chanel Métiers d'Art runway presentation. The show, staged inside a decommissioned New York subway station, referenced her discovery.

On the runway, she wore a quarter-zip sweater and washed denim inspired by her original subway encounter – a concept that would later influence her Met Gala debut.

Met Gala 2026 'Jeans' Look Sparks Online Backlash

On Monday, Mandava donned a beige muslin half-zip sweater, a white top, and silk muslin trousers printed with a 'blue denim effect' using trompe l'oeil techniques by Chanel's ateliers.

The look received backlash from all over the internet, as social media users accused Chanel of disrespecting Mandava.

One X user said Chanel just put Mandava 'in a simple everyday outfit' and called it art. 'The absolute disrespect'.

Others also accused Chanel of being racist, saying: 'Making Bhavitha Mandava the face of Chanel and then not putting any effort into her big moment. Not even a dress. They wouldn't have done this if it was a white model.'

One Reddit user also said the look was 'underwhelming', while others said that the outfit was 'anticlimactic.'

Chanel's Defence

Chanel later explained the concept behind the look. Speaking to The Independent, the fashion house said the outfit was the 'haute couture reinterpretation' of what Mandava was wearing during her runway show in New York.

Speaking to PEOPLE on the red carpet, Mandava described her style as 'the most comfortable look that anyone has ever worn to the Met'.

In a separate interview with British Vogue, Mandava shared that she and Blazy revisited some of her most memorable Chanel moments while developing the look. She recalled pausing when she first saw the sketch, describing her subway show as 'one of the most significant nights of my career.'

'Turning it into something reimagined for the Met felt like carrying that memory forward, but in a more elevated way that still respects the original spirit and the theme of the evening', she added.

She also acknowledged that the subway 'was her story' and that she is always being reminded that 'ordinary moments hold everything'.

'I feel like every design he makes has a very deep story to it', she said of Blazy during an interview with Elle magazine.

Despite the backlash, Mandava maintained that the look reflected her identity, with supporters also believing that she was presenting herself authentically that night.