Indian Art walks the red carpet: How celebrities showcased their heritage at the Met Gala 2026

Coupling the theme “Costume Art” with the dress code “Fashion is Art”, the 2026 Met Gala witnessed Indian celebrities introducing a touch of ethnic culture and tradition to the Metropolitan Museum of Art at Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.Adorning herself in a gold saree conceived by Gaurav Gupta and styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, Isha Ambani’s saree fabric was woven using real gold by the artisans of Swadesh collective. This team comprised over 25 artisans dedicated upwards of 1200 hours during the creation of the fabric. This saree’s border shows hand painted pichwai motifs that are symbolic of nature. The border also featured ancient rock-cut murals like those seen in the Ajanta caves. Utilizing zardosi, a Persian embroidery technique, this entails using fine metal wires to create a heavy, opulent look. Additionally, a crochet needle was used to create a sharp and fine chain stitch known as aari. The mural’s finish also creates a 3D sculpted effect on the fabric termed relief embroidery. Artist Trilok Soni, along with six artisans, spent 150 hours hand-painting the border. Pichwai is a 400-year-old traditional art form from Nathdwara, Rajasthan, featuring intricate, hand-painted scenes on cloth dedicated to Lord Krishna. Her blouse was adorned with over 1,000 diamonds
including old-mine solitaires, emeralds, polki, and rose and table-cut diamonds in kundan, all of which comes from her mother Nita Ambani’s private collection. She also carried a hand-painted bronze mango by artist Subodh Gupta nestled in a custom crochet 3.10 by Guggi. The look was completed with a jasmine-inspired hair sculpture by Brooklyn-based artist Sourabh Gupta – a reinterpretation of the traditional gajra. Karan Johar




Discussion (0)