"Deserve to be Here": Lagos Street Star Rachel Ojuromi Makes Emotional Chanel Runway Debut in Paris
- Rachel Ojuromi, a 22-year-old Nigerian content creator, walked in the Chanel spring/summer 2027 show at the Grand Palais in Paris
- Ojuromi rose to fame through viral fit-check videos filmed on the streets of Lagos, eventually catching the attention of the fashion house
- She broke down in tears backstage before the show, but composed herself and stepped onto one of fashion's most iconic runways
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Source: Instagram
Rachel Ojuromi, a 22-year-old Nigerian content creator, made her professional runway debut at the Chanel spring/summer 2027 show at the Grand Palais in Paris, walking one of fashion's most prestigious stages for the first time.
Long before the Chanel invitation arrived, Ojuromi was building her own version of a runway in Lagos. Working alongside her best friend, stylist and designer Debby Fasingha, she filmed bold outfit videos on the streets of her hometown, pairing fuchsia fringed skirts, corseted gowns and tailored suits with everyday errands like buying vegetables at a market or balancing a basket of bananas on her head. The clips travelled widely, earning her a following that appreciated not just the looks but the joyfulness behind them. When high fashion felt out of reach, she brought the fashion world to her.
From Lagos streets to the Grand Palais
The moment that changed everything was a viral recreation of a Chanel Métiers d'Art show.
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"That video was a vehicle that led us to where we are now," Ojuromi said.
Still, she is quick to push back against any suggestion of overnight success.
"It's a series of compounding events. It's never overnight. It's all your life you work towards something."
The confirmation came on an otherwise ordinary day. She was at home in a robe when her team called. Her first reaction was almost too calm:
"Oh, of course."
The weight of it only hit during the first rehearsal lineup.
"I started crying because I was like, 'Wait, wait, wait, wait… what's going on?'"
Walking the Chanel runway in a look full of meaning
On the runway, Ojuromi wore a grey and yellow tweed skirt set. The yellow held personal significance because it is her best friend Debby's favourite colour.
"When I saw my look, I was like, 'It's a sign. This is a sign,'" she said.
Her hair was pulled back in neat braids, and the styling was intentionally minimal.
"They wanted me to look exactly like me and I really appreciate that," she said. "I look so pretty. I feel really pretty."
More experienced models, including Bhavitha Mandava and Anok Yai, helped calm her nerves backstage, reminding her she had earned her place. By the time she stepped out, the anxiety had lifted.
"I was having fun. I was like, 'Yeah, I deserve to be here, of course!'"
Back in Lagos, she once sat on her couch watching a Chanel show and wondered if she and her friends could create something like it. Now she has walked in the real thing.
Her message to anyone watching from home:
"You can dream, you can believe in something, and it can just work out. You can dream yourself into a life that is possible even if nobody else gets it."
Read the full story here.
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