On Sunday evening in Los Angeles, which was early Monday morning for viewers in India, a 25-year-old from a village in Kerala walked onto one of the most famous runways in fashion. Ravleen Varghese, who grew up in Kodumon in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, made her debut at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
Varghese did not just get one walk. She appeared on the runway twice, a strong signal of how much the casting team believed in her. By Monday afternoon, Indian fashion pages were already calling her the first Malayali model to ever walk the show
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Who is Ravleen Varghese
Ravleen Varghese’s story does not begin with a childhood dream of becoming a supermodel. She was around 18 and had moved to Delhi to study design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology when Anima Creatives discovered her. Even then, she was hesitant.
In an interview with The Nod, Varghese said she had turned down several modelling agencies in the beginning because she did not believe she could find a place for herself in the industry. It was only when she met people who genuinely recognised her potential that something shifted. Design never left her either: her Behance profile still identifies her as a NIFT Delhi student with an interest in styling and image-making.
From Pathanamthitta to New York to Los Angeles
Her international breakthrough started at New York Fashion Week. Varghese has named Prabal Gurung’s Spring/Summer 2025 show as her debut at one of the major fashion weeks, and she later walked for designer Bach Mai, including his Spring/Summer 2026 collection. Those New York runways built the profile that eventually put her face on the official Victoria’s Secret cast sheet, right next to legends like Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio.
Two very different looks on the runway
For her first walk, Varghese wore a sheer pink lace lingerie set with a flowing ruffled robe, styled with long loose waves, glowing skin and winged liner. Fashion watchers described it as the soft, romantic look of the night.
Her second look was a complete gear change. She returned in a black lace bra with white embroidery trim, geometric body straps, high-waisted black-and-white lace bottoms, thigh-highs with garters and chunky silver bangles. For this walk she shared the runway with models Luíza Perote and Malika El Maslouhi.
Fashion page Diet Sabya summed up the mood in an October 19 Instagram post: “A star is born. The first Malayali model to walk the show and the latest to join the incredible line of Indian Victoria’s Secret girlies.”
The show’s big moments
This year’s event was the third Victoria’s Secret show since the brand revived it in 2024, and it moved from New York to Los Angeles. The night’s biggest storylines:
- Kylie Jenner’s runway debut in the brand’s most expensive Fantasy Bra ever, a diamond-studded piece valued at $50 million. Her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet cheered from the sidelines.
- Barbara Palvin opening the show just weeks after welcoming her first child with husband Dylan Sprouse.
- Adriana Lima walking her 21st year on the VS runway and Alessandra Ambrosio marking her 20th appearance.
- Elsa Hosk returning after welcoming a new addition to her family.
- Performances by Katseye, Megan Thee Stallion and Tate McRae.
Backstage buzz
Some of the most-loved images of the night were not from the runway at all. Diet Sabya’s backstage photo dump showed Varghese’s headshot on the official 2026 cast board, a mirror selfie in hair rollers, the iconic pink-striped satin robe with her name embroidered on it, and the black satin team jacket that read ‘Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026’ in pink rhinestones.
In interviews she has said her pre-show ritual is blasting Malayalam tracks and dancing through her skincare routine. Varghese now joins a small group of Indian and Indian-origin models to have walked the Victoria’s Secret runway, a list that includes names like Ujjwala Raut, Bhumika Arora and Neelam Gill. For a young model who once turned agencies down, the wings fit just fine.
FAQs
When was the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 held?
The show took place on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Los Angeles. It was streamed live at 4:30 pm Pacific time, which was 5 am Monday in India.
Who is Ravleen Varghese?
Ravleen Varghese is a 25-year-old model from Kodumon in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, scouted at 18 by Anima Creatives after moving to Delhi to study design at NIFT.
How many times did Ravleen Varghese walk the VS runway?
She walked twice. Her first look was a sheer pink lace set with a ruffled robe, and her second was a black lace look with geometric straps, which she wore alongside Luíza Perote and Malika El Maslouhi.
Was Kylie Jenner also at the show?
Yes. Kylie Jenner made her Victoria’s Secret runway debut this year, wearing the brand’s most expensive Fantasy Bra ever, valued at $50 million.
Is this the first time an Indian model has walked the Victoria’s Secret show?
No, but Varghese is being celebrated as the first Malayali model to do so. Earlier Indian models on the VS runway include Ujjwala Raut, Bhumika Arora and Neelam Gill.
From a Kerala village to the Victoria’s Secret runway, Ravleen Varghese’s debut shows that the biggest stages are often reached one hesitant step at a time.
