Nigerian fashion blogger Rachel Ojuromi has walked as a runway model at the Chanel show during Paris Fashion Week, Vogue has reported.
The 22-year-old content creator from Lagos was handpicked by creative director Matthieu Blazy after her online videos recreating high fashion outfits with second-hand clothing went viral across social media platforms.
In her viral video clips, Ojuromi produced detailed, faithful recreations of runway looks from the Chanel Metiers d'art collection using pre-owned garments she sourced herself in local markets.
Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, is a major economic and cultural capital in West Africa with a thriving fashion scene where young designers and content creators frequently champion second-hand clothing and sustainable styling. Chanel is a legendary French luxury fashion house founded in Paris, famed for its timeless haute couture, signature tweed designs, and ready-to-wear lines. Its annual Metiers d'art collection specifically honors the specialized craftsmanship of artisan partners, including master embroiderers, feather craftsmen, and tweed weavers.
Runway appearance and styling
For her runway debut in Paris, Ojuromi wore a striking outfit consisting of a grey-and-yellow tweed shirt paired with a bright yellow midi-length skirt.
Show stylists deliberately preserved the Nigerian creator's natural look for the runway, opting for clean, minimalist makeup and styling her hair into sleek braider braids pulled neatly backward.
Reflecting on the show, Ojuromi said that the stylists wanted her to look exactly as she does in her everyday life, an approach she said she deeply appreciated. She explained that she felt truly beautiful walking the runway and believed she looked beautiful in the designer outfit.
Her casting reflects a broader shift within the international fashion industry, where luxury brands increasingly look to digital platforms and viral creators who offer fresh perspectives on styling thrifted apparel.
Social media path to luxury runways
Ojuromi is not the first online personality to turn viral video success into a high profile runway appearance for an elite fashion house. In January, it was reported that Russian male model Vyacheslav Nikitin walked for the Italian luxury brand Prada in Milan after gaining widespread internet attention for a video in which he wore children's shorts.
Prada is an iconic Italian fashion house based in Milan, widely recognized for its minimalist designs and influential menswear and womenswear collections presented during Milan Fashion Week. Alongside Milan, Paris Fashion Week represents the pinnacle of the global fashion calendar, drawing top designers, international buyers, and media representatives from around the world each season.
