Mother is mothering: Ujjwala Raut has been serving looks and supermodel energy since 1996

Supermodel Ujjwala Raut on the cover of Cosmopolitan in a Tommy Hilfiger maillot (ICYMI: “It’s the hottest swimwear. Like, ever!”), with instructions on “how to check if you have sex FOMO”? It doesn’t get more 2016 than this.

37 at the time this cover was shot, Raut was only 17 when she started her journey as a model in 1996. The rest—as they say—is history.

Inspired by her elder sister’s love for fashion, who was the first in her family to wear jeans and eyeliner, Raut went to Paris in 1997 for couture week with a dream (and without any winter clothes). Since then, the 48-year-old model has walked for international designers including Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, and many more.

Back when the fashion industry wasn’t as inclusive and it was rather unusual to see a brown face on billboards, Raut was everywhere, all at once. She walked for Yves Saint Laurent’s last show before he stepped down in 2002, and has been a Victoria’s Secret Angel in ’02 and ’03.

When Raut gave birth to her daughter Ksha, she was only 27. She would breastfeed in between runway shows until she put her professional career on hold to focus on her personal life. A single mother, she believes in quality work over quantity.

Raut was among the Indian models to make a case for the industry internationally, and she was as relevant in 1996 as she was in 2006, in 2016, and today.

This article originally appeared in Cosmopolitan India's July-August 2026 print issue.

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