This year’s 30 Under 30 Asia: The Arts list showcases Gen-Z talents across disciplines from fashion to classical music and the culinary world.When Bhavitha Mandava boarded the subway in Brooklyn one day in mid-2024, she had no inkling that it would end up being a life-changing ride. The Hyderabad-born Mandava, then a New York University grad student majoring in design and media, caught the eye of a modeling agent. His pitch that walking the ramp could help pay off her student debt was compelling. Within a fortnight, Mandava was in Milan, making her catwalk debut for Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta. Since then, she’s blazed a trail to become the first Indian model to open Chanel’s Métiers d’Art collection in December as the muse of Matthieu Blazy, the celebrated artistic director of the French fashion house. The collection was shown at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan where Mandava’s casual sweater-and-blue jeans ensemble was a nod to the outfit she was wearing when she was discovered.That full circle moment for the 25-year-old instantly garnered attention, and overnight, she became the fashion world’s most-talked about new face–for all the right reasons. Mandava is one of the 30 entries on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: The Arts list, representing a new generation of individuals influencing culture, style, art and the culinary world and whose stories resonate with millions in the region.I think about brown girls who might feel... that something has shifted in what they believe is possible for them. I know that feeling, because I’ve been that girl too.