As the Met Gala returned with โFashion Is Artโ as its 2026 theme, API (Asian Pacific Islander) stars stepped onto the carpet with looks that treated clothing as priceless pieces of art. Across custom couture, heirloom jewelry, hand embroidery, and deeply personal references, this yearโs standout appearances honored identity, craftmanship, and the artists who inspired their final looks. From Indian textile traditions to sharp modern tailoring and sculptural red carpet statements, these stars showed how fashion can carry history while still meeting the moment.
Naomi Osaka in Robert Wun
Tennis star, Naomi Osaka returned to the Met Gala Red Carpet for the first time in five years, wearing a two-part act by Robert Wun. The first initial look is a sweeping ivory coat with dramatic puff sleeves, a structured, folded high collar that evokes the traditional kimono, and accompanied with an abstract headpiece. Open seams in the bodice reveal peeks of red crystals with sprouting feathers. To pair along the bleeding hints of red, Osaka wears sheer red gloves, tipped with scarlet nails. Peeling off the coat and headpiece, Osaka reveals a stunning red gown with sparkling swirls of crystals. She attributes the two-part look to be inspiring by โthe shedding of the skin and human anatomy.โ
Karan Johar
For his Met Gala debut, Karan Johar turned the carpet into a full cinematic canvas. The Indian filmmaker arrived in a custom Manish Malhotra ensemble inspired by painter Raja Ravi Varma, styled by Eka Lakhani. The hand-painted look carried Varmaโs imagery through zardozi borders, three-dimensional pillars, lotuses, swans, and even a hand-painted jacket lining, a detail most people would never see, but one that made the craftsmanship feel even more intentional. The ensemble took 5,600 hours over 86 days to create, with acrylic and oil finishes giving the textile the glow of an actual painting.
Johar has always understood the power of clothing as storytelling, so his interpretation of โFashion Is Artโ felt right at home. The look honored Indian artistry without flattening it into costume, bringing his decorated history of craftsmanship, cinema, and cultural memory together on fashionโs biggest stage.
Yu-Chi Lyra
Tech investor, entrepreneur, and collector of haute couture Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo took the Met Gala theme of “art as a costume” to a whole new level. Gracing the red carpet in a custom Jean Paul Gaultier designed by herself, Kuo arrived wearing an intricately folded, white corset gown with a sculpted bodice, complete with extended angel wings, attached to the front of her skirt. Kuo drew from multiple avenues of inspiration, including the art of origami and John Galliano’s Spring Haute couture collection from 2007 as seen in the layers of folded fabrics. The dressโ winged structure was also an homage to the Winged Victory of Samothrace, an 18-foot tall statue of the Greek goddess of victory Nike. Kuoโs angelic and sculptured look was a tribute to classical Greek artworks while the design itself walked a line between paper, fabric, and feathers.
Alysa Liu
Alysa Liu made her Met Gala debut in custom Louis Vuitton. Styled by Katie Qian, the Olympic figure skater wore a deep red strapless gown made of satin and tulle, with a voluminous high-low skirt that framed her movement while nodding to her work on the ice. The sculptural ruffles were inspired by Liuโs athletic body, referencing vascularity, cell structure, muscle tissue, and even the carved texture of ice. The red hue added another layer of meaning, with Liu noting the colorโs connection to luck in Chinese culture.
Manish Moltroha
For his second consecutive Met Gala appearance, Manish Malhotra arrived in a custom creation from his own atelier, using the โFashion Is Artโ theme to turn the spotlight toward the hands behind the work. The Indian couturier wore a bandhgala layered with an architectural cape, an homage to Mumbai and the cityโs role in shaping his life, career, and creative language.
Crafted over 960 hours by 50 artisans across Delhi and Mumbai, the cape featured dori work, zardozi, chikankari, and kasab in white and ivory. But the strongest detail was also the most meaningful: the names and signatures of the embroiderers, tailors, pattern makers, and karigars were embroidered directly into the cape.
Ejae
EJAE, the Korean American singer and songwriter behind the Grammy-winning, hit song โGoldenโ made her Met Gala debut wearing a custom Swarovski by Jeffrey Jin and Theo Song. Arriving, dripping head to toe in thousands of Swarovski crystals, the silver column dress left a shining impression on the red carpet. “I wanted to represent elements of Korean culture on fashion’s biggest night,” EJAE mentioned in an interview, referencing her hairstyle for the night.
The elaborate braided updo adorned with traditional Korean bi-nyeo (๋น๋
) pins drew inspiration from the Joseon-era courtesans called Gi-nyeo (๊ธฐ๋
). EJAE’s team, including creative directors Jin and Song took inspiration from two avenues of feminine archetypes, one being a sculpture or Venus, and the other being the female courtesans of the Joseon dynasty, gi-nyeo, trained in classical arts such as poetry and music. Meanwhile, the thousands of crystals cascading off the dress felt like a small nod to the โGoldenโ lyrics, โIโll be shining like Iโm born to be.”ย
Ahn Hyo Seop
Actor Ahn Hyo Seop made his Met Gala debut in custom Valentino, bringing a sharp but playful edge to the โFashion Is Artโ dress code. The Korean-Canadian Kpop Demon Hunters star wore a sequined black-and-gold patterned suit layered over a silk gold shirt, finished with a slim red scarf and gold-studded shoes. The look also featured a traditional button detail, giving the ensemble a thoughtful finishing touch.
Isha M. Ambani
Isha M. Ambani attended in Gaurav Gupta Couture, marking her first time wearing the designer. Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, the look centered on a gold-woven tissue saree created by master artisans of the Swadesh collective and worn in its traditional drape.
The saree was paired with a jewellery-integrated blouse featuring over 1,000 diamonds and precious stones, including heirloom old mine diamonds, rare emeralds, polki and kundan elements from her mother’s, Nita Ambani, own personal collection, and a historic Mughal-era sarpech. Across the full ensemble, more than 50 artisans contributed over 1,200 hours of craftsmanship, with the sareeโs border referencing Ajanta cave murals through hand-painted and embroidered motifs. The look was finished with a sculptural Gaurav Gupta cape to top it off.
On dressing Ambani, Gupta said via press release, “Isha embodies a modern
Indian identity with a natural confidence, which made her the perfect person to carry this narrative on a global stage.โ
Laufey
Chinese-Icelandic GRAMMY Award-Winning singer Laufey returned to the Met Gala in Tory Burch, leaning into her classical music background with a look inspired by the cello. She wore a pearl-toned column gown covered in sparkling sequins, complete with a matching capelet and pouch purse. Created in Burchโs atelier, the gown featured glass beads and floral-shaped sequins, while hand-sculpted boning helped shape the silhouette.
Sudha Reddy
Businesswoman and philanthropist Sudha Reddy attended the Met Gala in custom Manish Malhotra, wearing a look rooted in the โTree of Lifeโ and the jammi chettu tree. The ensemble drew from Kalamkari, a South Indian block printing tradition used on silks and cotton, with motifs including the palapitta, or Indian roller bird, the sun, the moon, and Hyderabad. On Instagram, Reddy described the look as โa living archive,โ shaped by thousands of hours, countless hands, and generations of knowledge.
Chase Sui Wonders
Chase Sui Wonders graced the Met Gala carpet in a lilac, almost transparent gown from the McQueen Autumn Winter 2026 collection. The silk georgette and satin dress featured an oversized bow over one shoulder, adding a soft sculptural detail. Wonders paired it with matching lilac satin Koko sandals. The Studio star completed the look with Tiffany & Co. jewelry โ earrings, bracelets and rings totaling 32 carats โ and soft glam makeup The ensemble, styled by Thomas Carter Phillips, drew inspiration from ancient Roman art. Wonders is also a member of the Met Gala 2026 host committee.
Hudson Williams
Hudson Williams made a striking, highly anticipated Met Gala debut, arriving as one of the nightโs breakout new faces on the heels of his Heated Rivalry role going viral. The actor stepped onto fashionโs biggest carpet with a look that leaned heavily into drama and cinema. He donned archival Balenciaga inspired by a 1947 Matador bolero and modernized by designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, detailed with cord and glass bead embroidery, and finished with a sweeping, long black train. The styling by Anastasia Walker was anchored by a BVLGARI necklace featuring pear and marquise diamonds. Walker shared that she wanted to pay homage to Balenciaga and โloved how this piece could be reimaged into a modern adaptation on Hudson.โ She added that the Costume Art theme aligned with this piece due to its inspiration from matadors.
The beauty concept, led by Aika Flores, drew inspiration from Black Swan (2010), contrasting white swan and black swan. Williamsโ eye makeup reflected that split directly, featuring thick black winged eyeliner with blue metallic shadow on one side and red on the other, which blended toward his brows. On the carpet, Williamsโ shared the look was designed around transformation and duality with the โwhite swan transforming into the black swan.โย
NINGNING
Only five days after being announced as Gucciโs newest global brand ambassador, NINGNING of aespa made her Met Gala debut in custom Gucci by Demna. The intricate black gown featured layers of swirled, sculptured fabric detailed with small gems on its edges. NINGNING sported Bvlgari Serpenti Viper earrings and her hair was rounded into a unique updo that flicked into a small swirl in harmony with the swirls cascading down her gown. As she made her way through the carpet, the gownโs high slit became visible, flaunting her legs highlighted by a pair of black pumps. NINGNING wore black stiletto nails and cat-eye makeup to add an edge of sharpness to the look.
Read about all the celebrities that attended Colman Domingo’s pre-Met party.
