Several Indian celebrities attended the Met Gala including Kiara Advani, Shah Rukh Khan and Diljit Dosanjh
The Met Gala is more than just a parade of high-end dresses and celebrity appearances. Taking place every year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, it is a showcase for the nexus of fashion, art and culture as well as a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute. The evening’s attire is determined by the theme of the event each year. This year the theme Superfine: Tailoring Black Style honoured the heritage and creativity of Black fashion with a dress code called Tailored for You.
Though India is not a newcomer to what is billed as the world’s most exclusive event, the impact this year was much more forceful due to the presence of well-known personalities of Hindi cinema, notably Shah Rukh Khan.
Besides the glamour, this year, Indian craftsmanship was also on display at the Met, quite literally. Neytt by Extraweave, a family-run business from Alappuzha in Kerala, designed and wove the famous blue carpet that welcomed celebrities. Neytt’s pieces were chosen for the Met Gala for the third year in a row, demonstrating the brand’s proficiency and the increasing acceptance of Indian craftsmanship on the international scene.
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The carpet was a striking feature and a nod to environmentally conscious design, made from 5852.8 sqm of sustainable, biodegradable sisal fibres from Madagascar. After being woven in Kerala, where as many as 480 artisans worked on it over the course of about 90 days, the carpet was transported to the United States, where it was hand-painted and then laid out on the museum’s renowned staircase.
Several Indian celebrities attended the Met Gala, including those who made a debut at the event, such as Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan who made his first appearance at Met Gala wearing a custom black outfit designed by Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and striking jewellery. Moreover, Sabyasachi walked the Met Gala carpet too.
Indian fashion designers Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi Mukherjee were also present at the Met Gala
Another debutante, Indian actress Kiara Advani, attracted attention with her elegant black gown designed by Gaurav Gupta, an Indian celebrity designer, which featured an antique gold breastplate embellished with droplets and crystals, a visual homage to Indian craftsmanship and motherhood.
While on the other hand, incorporating his distinctive Punjabi flair into the evening’s events, singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh, who was also making his debut, wore a royal outfit modelled after Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. It was styled by American fashion designer Prabal Gurung and adorned with Cartier and Golecha jewels.
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The Met Gala also witnessed the presence of Indian actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas for the fifth time. She made a comeback wearing a striking polka-dot suit dress by Olivier Rousteing, a French fashion designer of Balmain, accessorised with Bulgari jewellery.
Regular Met Gala attendee Isha Ambani made an appearance in a custom Anamika Khanna gown, and the Indian presence was further enhanced by businesswoman and fashion icon Natasha Poonawalla and Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who also marked his debut presence this year at the Met. With each celebrity contributing a distinct take on the theme through a distinctively Indian perspective, their appearances highlighted India’s expanding influence in international fashion.
Meanwhile, Indian-American tech entrepreneur Mona Patel made her appearance wearing a Thom Browne ensemble, featuring a hand-embroidered Indian corset and a futuristic robotic dog named Vector on a diamond-studded leash, merging cultural storytelling with cutting-edge technology.
In many ways, the 2025 Met Gala was a celebration of the bonds that exist between nations, cultures and imaginative visions.