When Chanel unveiled its Womenswear Spring/Summer 2027 collection at Paris Fashion Week on October 5, 2026, one of the models on the catwalk was a 22-year-old Nigerian who had spent the past few years filming runway-style videos on the streets of Lagos. Her name is Rachel Ojuromi, and her path to Paris says as much about the people around her as it does about her own talent.
This article looks at how Ojuromi got there, who helped build the moment, and what her story suggests about creative communities across Africa. The details come from reporting by OkayAfrica, which interviewed several of her collaborators (source linked at the end).
Who Is Rachel Ojuromi?
Rachel Ojuromi is a Lagos-born model, creative and cultural curator. Before her Chanel debut she was already known online for a distinctive series of videos in which she walked through ordinary Lagos locations in avant-garde outfits. The contrast between high-concept fashion and everyday Nigerian street life became her signature, and it earned her a growing international audience, including comments from the singer SZA.
Fashion is only one part of her work. Ojuromi runs Process Africa, a cultural magazine and collective that documents African creativity. She has also worked as a film curator with Home Movie Film Club and has been an active presence in Lagos’s creative circles for several years. Friends describe her as a typical multi-disciplinary Gen Z creative, with interests that stretch across fashion, film, creative direction and skating.
The Viral Video That Caught Chanel’s Attention
The turning point was a video in which Ojuromi recreated looks from Chanel’s 2026 show. She presented five outfits on the streets of Lagos, each styled by her friend and collaborator Debby Fasingha and filmed by photographer Odey Ikpa.
The clip drew a comment from Matthieu Blazy, Chanel’s creative director. That recognition eventually led to a place in the brand’s following runway presentation, which is the show where she made her debut.
Nothing about the project depended on a big budget or a studio. It relied on a clear concept, local styling, careful filming and a team that trusted each other.
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The Lagos Team Behind the Rise
Ojuromi’s story is often told as a viral success, but the people who worked with her describe something more deliberate: a small network of young creatives who built things together long before the fashion world noticed.
Odey Ikpa, the Photographer
Ikpa, who shoots much of Ojuromi’s visual content, says the group’s shared trait is a refusal to wait for permission. A typical shoot begins with Ojuromi and Fasingha developing a concept, after which Fasingha builds the looks. The team then walks through the city looking for locations. Ojuromi starts walking, and Ikpa moves the camera along with her.
He also points to the habit of constant learning. Fasingha studies runway shows, designers, shoes and patterns in depth, and Ojuromi picks up any skill she needs or finds someone who already has it, whether that means organising events or launching a magazine.
Ifeoluwa Olutayo, Co-Curator at Home Movie Film Club
Olutayo worked with Ojuromi for roughly two years at the film club. She remembers a person with a clear internal compass about what she wanted to express, and a strong instinct for giving other people a platform. The same habit showed up at Process Africa, where Ojuromi involved members of her community in the work instead of keeping the spotlight to herself.
Tolu Oye, Founder of Meji Meji
Oye, who leads the brand Meji Meji, met Ojuromi in 2024, and their worlds overlapped more closely in 2025 after a Process Africa feature on a project called Digital Afterlife. Meji Meji later cast Ojuromi as one of the sisters in a short film campaign. Oye says Ojuromi’s effortless styling made her an obvious choice, and she was also the first person the team thought of when they needed someone to embody a “cool girl in Lagos” for a social media trend.
For Oye, October 5 was a milestone. She describes community as central to her own brand and says she wants to nurture talent early instead of celebrating it only after the world has noticed.
Eniafe Momodu, Stylist
Momodu first remembers Ojuromi from Homecoming Festival a few years ago, where she took on freelance work. He notes that she had been building steadily in Lagos creative circles for a long time. In his view, the story is a reminder that creatives can make their own luck by working with what they already have, and that progress sometimes comes from looking sideways at peers rather than only up at established names.
What Ojuromi’s Story Teaches Young Creatives
Several practical lessons come through in the accounts of the people who know her.
- Collaborate locally. Ojuromi’s videos were styled, sourced and shot by people in her own city. That local network gave her work a distinct identity.
- Document your process. Her magazine, film curation and social videos all served as public proof of her taste and ability.
- Learn what you need. Her collaborators repeatedly mention self-teaching and seeking out people with the right knowledge.
- Lift others as you rise. Ojuromi consistently credited and involved the people around her, which strengthened the community that later supported her.
- Start with what you have. The viral Chanel recreation did not require access to a fashion house. It required vision and teamwork.
Why This Moment Matters for African Fashion
Ojuromi’s debut is part of a broader pattern in which young African creatives use social platforms and tight-knit communities to reach global fashion stages without relying on traditional gatekeepers. It also shows how much value sits inside local ecosystems of stylists, photographers, designers, curators and writers, who often shape a model’s image long before an international brand is involved.
For Lagos in particular, the story adds to the city’s reputation as a centre of experimental, community-driven creativity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rachel Ojuromi? She is a 22-year-old Nigerian model, creative and curator from Lagos who also runs the cultural magazine Process Africa.
When did Rachel Ojuromi walk for Chanel? She appeared in Chanel’s Womenswear Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week on October 5, 2026.
How did Rachel Ojuromi get noticed by Chanel? A video of her recreating five looks from Chanel’s 2026 show on Lagos streets went viral and drew a comment from the brand’s creative director, Matthieu Blazy. That attention led to her place in the next runway show.
Who styles and photographs Rachel Ojuromi’s videos? Her videos are styled by Debby Fasingha and photographed by Odey Ikpa.
What is Process Africa? Process Africa is a cultural magazine and creative outfit, run by Ojuromi, that documents African creativity.
Conclusion
Rachel Ojuromi’s journey from Lagos streets to the Chanel runway is a story about talent, but also about timing, trust and teamwork. The people who worked beside her say the same thing in different words: when young creatives build together and keep documenting what they make, opportunities follow, and they tend to open doors for others as well.
