From Viral Sensation to Runway Star: Rachael Ojuromi Stuns at Chanel SS27!

Nigerian model and creative director Rachael Ojuromi, 22, has achieved a significant milestone in her career, officially walking in Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2027 show at the Grand Palais in Paris. This remarkable journey began with a creative project in Lagos that went viral and ultimately led her to one of the most prestigious fashion stages in the world.

The full-circle fashion story commenced with Rachael and her close friend and stylist, Debby Fasingha, recreating Chanel’s Métiers d’Art collection looks. They meticulously styled second-hand pieces sourced around Lagos, capturing striking images against the city's backdrop, including the Red Line rail overpass in Yaba. These recreations were shared on social media, where their viral video caught the eye of Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy, who famously commented “Everything” on their Instagram post.

This pivotal moment propelled Rachael’s creative work into the international fashion spotlight, significantly accelerating her modeling career. She quickly secured agency representation, now spanning major fashion capitals like New York, Paris, and London.

Before her Chanel runway debut, Rachael was already actively building a diverse creative career. She is the founder of The Process Africa, a platform dedicated to spotlighting emerging African talent. Her background in film, writing, and communication profoundly influences her unique approach to fashion, where she integrates styling, location, and visual storytelling rather than focusing solely on clothing. This holistic approach was vividly demonstrated in her Lagos Chanel recreation project that first garnered international attention.

For Rachael and Debby, their initial idea was both simple and ambitious: to reinterpret Chanel’s luxurious runway imagery using thrifted clothing found in Lagos. They sought to infuse these high-fashion concepts with their own creative lens. The resounding success of this project transcended its original local setting, ultimately paving Rachael’s path from Lagos street style scenes directly to a major global stage at Chanel.

Rachael has expressed a strong connection with Matthieu Blazy’s work, praising his direction at Chanel: “I connect with what he does so much because of the cunning simplicity in the presentation of his ideas, such grand stories presented in completely digestible ways.” This shared philosophy underpins her own creative collaborations with Debby Fasingha, which saw their Lagos-based recreations evolve from social media sensations to an appearance at the Grand Palais.

On October 6, 2026, Rachael made her official runway debut in Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2027 presentation. The show, aptly titled ‘La Conversation — Part Three — Different Faces of the Same Coin,’ featured Rachael among other models showcasing Matthieu Blazy’s latest collection for the iconic French fashion house. Her participation underscored the extraordinary journey from recreating high-fashion looks with thrifted items in Lagos to walking the actual Chanel runway in Paris, marking a significant new chapter in her flourishing modelling career with Paris now a firm part of her story.