Originally from Kodumon in Kerala, Varghese was initially scouted at 18 by Anima Creative Management while studying at NIFT-Delhi. Over the course of her modelling career, she moved to New York City for her Master’s at the Parsons School of Design and graduated just days before the VS show. And she didn’t walk just once. The model made two appearances: first, in a romantic lacy pink lingerie set and then in a black-and-white look. Below, Varghese talks about making it onto one of fashion’s most watched runways:
You’re now the third Indian model to walk the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. What do you hope that means for the models who come after you?
I’m obviously incredibly proud, but I also hope that being the third means we won’t be counting for very much longer.
You’ve spoken about being a curvy Indian girl who didn’t necessarily see herself represented while growing up. What has changed in how you see yourself?
I’ve always been quite proud of my curves. I joke about my Indian hips, but, genuinely, they’re a part of me that I love. And to be able to celebrate that on a stage that’s historically had such a specific idea of what an Angel looks like feels really special. It’s also a reminder to myself that I don’t have to become a different version of me to belong in certain spaces. I can show up exactly as I am.
What do you wish the international fashion industry understood about Indian beauty?
That there isn’t just one version of it! I think Indian beauty is so often reduced to this very specific image: long dark hair, big eyes, delicate features, and a certain kind of exoticism. And while that’s beautiful, it’s also such a tiny fraction of what Indian women look like. We have different skin tones, different bodies, different features, different personalities. I mean, some of us have big curly hair and even bigger hips.
Do you feel pressure to represent India when you walk into international fashion spaces?
I think there’s a fine line between being proud of where you come from and feeling like you have to represent 1.4 billion people perfectly, especially when you’re from a beautifully diverse country like India. I think the best thing I can do is be myself, do my job well, and, hopefully, make it a little easier for the next Indian girl to walk into that room.
If a young Indian girl watches you on the runway and sees something of herself in you, what would you want her to take away?
I love the idea of a young Indian girl watching the show and seeing someone with brown skin and Indian hips feeling completely comfortable and beautiful in her own body—not because she needs to look like me but because maybe she’ll realise she doesn’t need to look like anybody else either.
If you could tell your younger self who first started modelling that you’d one day walk the Victoria’s Secret runway, how do you think she’d react?
I think she’d laugh in my face out of disbelief. Genuinely. And then she’d probably ask me about a hundred questions. How? When? Where? Did we have wings? Who did we meet? But I think once the initial shock wears off, she’d be really proud. Not just because of the show, but because of everything it took to get here. And I’d probably tell her to stop being so hard on herself. She’s doing better than she thinks.
