JEENU MAHADEVAN

MODEL

Jeenu is one of the few South Asian models to make it onto the global fashion scene. Discovered on a bus home in Oslo, he has gone on to be the face of Hermes, Alexander McQueen, Burberry and others. He was also named a face to watch by Vogue Paris, after debuting at Paris Fashion Week.

Ironically, Jeenu had no prior interest or experience in fashion. He was planning to be an astrophysicist or computer scientist, describing himself as ’a Sri Lankan kid who somehow ended up in the fashion industry’. On the one hand, Jeenu credits this for keeping him unfazed when walking the ramp. It has also driven him to speak out about the colourism he has faced as a dark-skinned model – often from other South Asians, as well as those inside the industry.

Jeenu is now based in New York, where he has been shooting campaigns for top fashion brands including Fendi, Ralph Lauren, H&M and Givenchy.