It-Kids is a series in which Vogue Business spotlights the up-and-coming global talent brands need to know, in partnership with Launchmetrics and global Vogue editions.
Even when luxury was deep in its downturn, analysts consistently flagged India as a growth engine. Now, as the once-reliable Chinese market remains soft, the country’s growing appetite for luxury is one brands are increasingly keen to tap into. This year alone, Charlotte Tilbury and Off-White are among those to have opened stores in India for the first time, while Parisian department store Galleries Lafayette opened in Mumbai last November, marking its ninth international outpost.
But to establish themselves as growing players among Indian consumers, brands investing in the country’s retail scene must also invest in the local talent — from actors to athletes — who will resonate with customers in India and beyond.
India’s next-generation talent pool is diverse and growing. The country’s film sector is expanding: those in the industry anticipate a big year for Hindi cinema, such as Netflix’s Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web, which was an early 2026 hit, as well as the rise of Marathi films, as they continue to make their mark at international film festivals. Meanwhile, eyes on cricket — especially women’s cricket — continue to rise in droves, as anticipation for this summer’s Women’s T20 World Cup heats up.
Here’s a list of some of the fastest-growing Indian names, based on their social media followings, content and reach, per Launchmetrics’s growth and Voice Echo analysis, as well as global Vogue editorial consultations.
Bhavitha Mandava is a 26-year-old model who was discovered on the New York subway while attending New York University. She’s a tough one for brands to crack, given Chanel snapped her up early on — Mandava was made Chanel’s first-ever Indian brand ambassador in March 2026 — but the MIV she’s generating would make it smart for other luxury brands to tap in where possible.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 679,000
Known for: Chanel ambassador
Brand affiliations: Chanel
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $249,000
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (TikTok): $56,000
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Brand ambassadorship insights: Chanel
Diya Joukani is a 25-year-old content creator and designer from Mumbai. She went viral on TikTok under the username @DiyaDiya for videos of her walking through Mumbai wearing wired headphones and often a self-designed hoodie or cargo pant. In March 2026, Nike partnered with Joukani as part of its Air Works program, where global designers are helping to co-create the next generation of Air Max sneakers. She also met Rihanna at Fenty Beauty’s Mumbai event in April.
Instagram followers: 561,000
Known for: TikTok, DiyaDiya Studio
Brand affiliations: Nike, Fenty Beauty
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $258,000
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (TikTok): $160,000
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Aneet Padda is an Indian actor known for her role as Roohi in the Amazon Prime series Big Girls Don’t Cry, directed by Nitya Mehra. Prior to this, the 23-year-old starred in the Hindi film Salaam Venky, before starring in Saiyaara, for which she’s been nominated for — and won — a string of awards. Padda is currently shooting Shakti Shalini, which is set to release later this year. She has also appeared on the cover of Indian editions of Cosmopolitan, Grazia, and more.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 4.4 million
Known for: Big Girls Don’t Cry, Saiyaara
Brand affiliations: Lakmē
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $605,000
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Ahaan Panday is a 27-year-old actor, best known for his breakout role in Saiyaara, where he starred alongside Padda. He has also appeared on the covers of Esquire and Grazia India, and was one of GQ India’s 2025 Men of the Year.
Instagram followers: 2.7 million
Known for: Saiyaara
Brand affiliations: Tarz Beauty, Adidas (India)
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $437,000
Jemimah Rodrigues is a 25-year-old Indian cricketer and captain of the Delhi Capitals. She also plays for Brisbane Heat in the Australian Women’s Big Bash League. Rodrigues is at the fore of a sport that’s on the rise: 2026 marked the Women’s Premier League’s (WPL) most-viewed season, with 34.5 billion watched minutes across digital and television.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 3.9 million
Known for: Championing women’s cricket, captain of India’s Delhi Capitals
Brand affiliations: Nike
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Mahieka Sharma is an Indian actor and model who first gained recognition for winning a beauty pageant. She’s since appeared in various movies and television shows, but is best known for her work as a model, for which she’s received shoutouts from GQ and Elle India. (Sharma does some content creation now, too.) She’s currently in the spotlight for her relationship with cricketer Indian Hardik Pandya.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 710,000
Known for: Modeling
Brand affiliations: Kama Ayurveda, Tresemmé, Kilian Paris, Chanel Beauty (India)
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Suhana Khan is a 26-year-old Indian actor. She rose to fame in Netflix’s musical film The Archies in 2023, and more recently in The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Now, she’s gearing up for the release of Hindi-language thriller King in December. Khan recently featured on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar India.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 6.2 million
Known for: The Archies, The Ba***ds of Bollywood
Brand affiliations: Adidas (India), Maybelline (India)
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $476,000
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Sara Tendulkar is a content creator with a medical degree. (She’s also the daughter of Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.) The 28-year-old creator frequently works with her father’s Sachin Tendulkar Foundation (STF), a non-profit focused on sports, health and education for economically vulnerable children across 13 Indian states. She also appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan India at the end of last year.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 9.7 million
Known for: Lifestyle, wellness, and nutrition content
Brand affiliations: Lifestyle by PNG, Cetaphil, Kérastase
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $559,000
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Princess Gauravi Kumari is a member of the Jaipur royal family. Through the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation, she works to help empower underserved women in rural Rajasthan. She also runs the PDKF Store, whose products are created by women in Rajasthan trained by the PDK Foundation. Kumari attended the 2026 Met Gala in Prabal Gurung, and has appeared on the cover of the Indian Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, and Travel & Leisure.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 409,000
Known for: Jaipur princess, charity work
Brand affiliations: Jimmy Choo, Estée Lauder
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $106,000
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Kalyani Priyadarshan is an actor best known for her work in Malayalam films, though she has also starred in Tamil and Telugu movies. Priyadarshan made her debut in Hello, but is also known for films including Maanaadu and Bro Daddy. She’s currently filming two movies, Genie and Marshal; the former will be released later this year. In 2025, Priyadarshan was highlighted by The Hollywood Reporter India as one of the year’s top performers.
Photo: Getty Images
Instagram followers: 7.3 million
Known for: Maanaadu, Bro Daddy
Brand affiliations: Kalyan Jewellers
Q1 2026 average MIV/placement (Instagram): $106,000
Top-generating posts (MIV):
Other key talents
These are the up-and-comers who weren’t yet logged in Launchmetrics’s system (they’ve since been added), but are key for brands to keep an eye on as their stars continue to rise.
Anuv Jain is an Indian singer, songwriter and composer, well known and loved on the indie music scene. He’s currently on a world tour.
Smriti Mandhana is a 29-year-old cricketer and vice-captain of the Indian women’s national team. She recently featured on the cover of Vogue India.
Krishna Jayasankar is a track and field athlete who was the first Indian woman to surpass 16 meters in indoor shot-put.
Jyothi Yarraji is also a track and field athlete, who specializes in 100-meter hurdles. She recently received the Gen Z Icon Sports Award at the Cosmopolitan India Blogger and Creator Awards — the same month she won a Women of Impact Award.
Sheetal Devi is a paralympic archer, who won a bronze medal in the mixed team compound event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sara Arjun is an Indian actor who appears in primarily Tamil and Hindi films, and recently featured on Elle India’s digital cover.
Reble is an Indian rapper and songwriter from Meghalaya. She released her first single in 2019, and has recently contributed to film soundtracks for a host of Indian productions. (Reble is working on a new project that’s currently under wraps.)
A note on our methodology
While influencer marketing once stopped at deliverables — how many posts or stories the talent would share, media impact value (MIV) now goes far beyond those static posts. “These ambassadors are gateways to PR coverage [and brands] need to 360-degree measure the direct and the indirect impact,” says Launchmetrics CMO Alison Bringé. “Additionally, there’s that layer of their own social media channels and how these campaigns are being engaged with by their own community.”
On average, when looking at celebrity-driven campaigns, 77% of MIV came from the indirect category, Bringé says. “It’s insane because there are still some very unsavvy brands that are just thinking about the deliverables and ‘how many posts can I get from you?’” she says. “They need to be thinking about how they can create virality instead.” Data gathered by Launchmetrics includes average MIV generated by placements with talent, including voice echo numbers for brands that the company tracks.
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