For decades, the Chanel woman was imagined through a Western, mostly white, largely Eurocentric lens: poised and enigmatic. Even as the brand flirted with diversity in recent years (South Korean actresses, Black models, the odd gender-bending muse), it stopped short of naming a South Asian, let alone Indian, as its global face... until now.

Gen Z sweetheart Ananya Panday has just crossed a Rubicon by becoming Chanel’s first-ever brand ambassador from India. To put this into context, Chanel is the famous French fashion house that Coco Chanel built, known for codifying Parisian chic and giving the world the “little black dress,” the quilted bag, and the Chanel No. 5 perfume.

Next Luxury Stop: India

But here’s what the fashion world is learning: India is no longer optional. According to Bain & Co., India is on track to become the world’s third-largest market for personal luxury goods by 2030 with an estimated $85 billion. Homegrown designers like Rahul Mishra and Gaurav Gupta are now fixtures at international fashion weeks. And Indian consumers are no longer waiting to be invited. They’re asking uncomfortable questions: Why doesn’t your brand ship to Mumbai? Why isn’t there an Indian model in your campaign? Ananya Panday is Chanel’s answer.

In appointing Ananya, Chanel is acknowledging the power and poise of a market long kept on the fringes. India is the largest consumer base for luxury that still shops in-person at boutiques. Where once luxury was aspirational and distant (bought once a year in Dubai or Singapore), it is now personal, expressive and immediate. Luxury brands have flirted with Indian culture for years: embroidered lehengas in Paris couture shows, Bollywood stars sitting front row in Milan, Sabyasachi x H&M capsule collections but few have committed. That’s partly because India is confounding. It’s a nation of contradictions: vast wealth, rampant poverty; ancient heritage, digital-first youth; a love for couture, but a bargain-hunting economy.

Beyond the Billboard:

When Chanel announced Ananya Panday as its newest ambassador in a statement to The Business of Fashion, the phrasing was telling: “Ananya characterises a generation of evolving tastes and fiercely independent identities who navigate the world with their curiosities.” It’s not about age or fame, it’s about an attitude.
There’s something ironic about a young woman from Bollywood (an industry often viewed as glitzy but unserious) being chosen to represent a fashion house that prizes restraint and refinement. But that’s the point. Chanel is leaning into dualities. Refinement and rebellion.

 Ananya also happens to be immensely popular among young women navigating the same dichotomies: Indian girls who dream in both English and Hindi, who wear heirloom jhumkas with Acne Studios, who listen to Taylor Swift in a saree.

But let’s not get too starry-eyed. Celebrity ambassadorships are, after all, marketing strategies. They exist to sell things. Chanel’s move is as much about wallets as it is about representation. In fashion, that distinction doesn’t always matter. Because what we buy is often what we believe in.

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