Nigerian model Rachel Ojuromi made her runway debut for luxury fashion house Chanel on Monday during Paris Fashion Week in France.
The 22-year-old content creator achieved viral fame online after publishing videos of herself transforming everyday streets in Nigeria into improvised catwalks for high-fashion designs.
Her journey to walking for one of Europe's premier luxury labels began in March, when she started using Instagram to share videos demonstrating her modeling skills. In the recordings, Ojuromi turned her local surroundings, including bustling street markets, trade fairs, public avenues and neighborhood streets, into runways inspired by international fashion houses, wearing outfits designed with strong references to major luxury brands.
From Nigerian streets to Paris runway
The videos, which quickly gained widespread attention among social media users, were produced in close collaboration with stylist Debby Fasingha. Speaking to Dazed magazine in May, Fasingha said that whenever Ojuromi came up with an ambitious idea, she was ready to put it into practice and vice versa. Fasingha added that their constant mutual belief in one another was the force that had brought them to this moment.
Nigeria, located in West Africa, has developed a thriving creative scene with digital platforms allowing emerging talents to gain global visibility. Online video platforms have increasingly enabled independent models and stylists to showcase their work directly to international audiences, bypassing traditional industry gatekeepers.
Chanel is a historic French luxury fashion house founded in Paris, recognized worldwide for its haute couture, ready-to-wear clothing and high-fashion accessories. Paris Fashion Week is a semi-annual series of designer presentations held in the French capital. It forms part of the global fashion industry's traditional Big Four events alongside fashion weeks in New York, London and Milan, drawing top designers, buyers and international media.
International agencies and Paris debut
On Sunday, the day before her appearance on the Chanel runway, Ojuromi published a video of herself modeling near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In the caption accompanying the post, she noted that the trip marked her first time traveling outside the African continent and admitted to feeling a bit shy.
Following her online success, the Nigerian model recently celebrated signing professional contracts with top modeling agencies located across three major global fashion centers, securing representation in New York, Paris and London.
In a post announcing the agency deals, Ojuromi dedicated her achievement to all children who had ever been told that their dreams were too large for the places where they came from.
