From Engineering Blueprints To Paris Runways: The Making Of Yug Devalia

As a fashion designer, I have always believed that the runway has a remarkable instinct for finding people who do not belong to fashion — until suddenly, they do.

That is exactly what makes the rise of Yug Devalia so fascinating.

At just 19, while most students his age were occupied with assignments, lab reports and semester deadlines, the mechanical engineering student from Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering was preparing for one of fashion's grandest stages: the runway of Dior during Paris Fashion Week.

Fashion loves narratives of reinvention, but Devalia's story feels less like reinvention and more like revelation — the discovery of a face and presence that had been waiting quietly in the wings.

His debut came in the house's Menswear Spring/Summer 2027 presentation, where he appeared in sharply tailored trousers paired with a cropped checked jacket layered over a matching shirt. The look carried the effortless precision that defines modern luxury menswear, yet it was the newcomer's calm confidence that held attention.

For a first runway, it was a remarkably assured performance.

The journey to Paris began not in a casting studio but in Mumbai, where Devalia was balancing engineering lectures with a growing curiosity about modelling. Opportunity arrived unexpectedly when his portfolio reached the hands of talent scout Showin Bishop, who recognised potential beneath the engineering student's understated exterior.

Fashion often moves quickly, but even by industry standards, what followed was extraordinary.

Within weeks, Devalia was preparing for one of the world's most demanding runways.

Before boarding a flight to Paris, he immersed himself in nearly six weeks of intensive runway coaching at Vision Vogue Academy under mentor Sahil Singh. Posture was refined. Rhythm was practised. The walk became muscle memory.

Runway modelling is often mistaken for glamour alone. In reality, it is discipline disguised as elegance.

Show day began long before sunrise, with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call ahead of a 5 a.m. reporting time. The self-confessed tea lover traded his usual morning cup for coffee as he stepped into the carefully orchestrated chaos that exists behind every major fashion presentation.

Nerves, naturally, were part of the experience.

But the moment he stepped onto the runway, instinct took over.

Perhaps the most moving image from his debut was not captured beneath the Paris lights but thousands of kilometres away in Mumbai, where his parents, sister and grandmother gathered to watch him walk for one of fashion's most revered houses. Like many families, they initially viewed modelling with understandable caution, uncertain about an industry built on unpredictability. Yet they chose belief over hesitation.

For young creatives, that kind of support can change everything.

Devalia shared the moment with characteristic humility:

"I have always been a dreamer. But to go from dreamer to Dior, that is something I will never be able to fully put into words."

His debut also placed him alongside fellow Indian model Aryan Prakash, with both representing a new generation of Indian male talent increasingly visible on international luxury runways.

Despite fashion's sudden embrace, Devalia has no intention of abandoning engineering. He plans to return to Mumbai to continue his degree before fully committing to modelling after graduation — a decision that speaks to both ambition and pragmatism.

His runway dreams are already expanding. Walking for Prada sits high on his wishlist, although another invitation from Dior would undoubtedly feel like coming home.

As designers, we spend years searching for new silhouettes, new fabrics and new ideas.

Sometimes, however, the most exciting discovery is a new story.

And from engineering blueprints to Parisian catwalks, Yug Devalia may well be one of Indian fashion's most compelling new chapters.

Gaurav Mandal is a two-time National Award-winning fashion designer and faculty at Pearl Academy.