How Celebrities Honoured Indian Art and Craftsmanship at Met Gala 2026

Indian celebrities stepped out to put their most stylish foot forward at fashion's biggest night, the Met Gala 2026. Adhering to the official dress code of Fashion is Art, they made sure to honour India's rich heritage and craftsmanship through intricate textiles, artisanal techniques, and old Indian paintings. The Indian guests arrived not merely dressed for the theme but in dialogue with it — the Met Gala red carpet became a canvas for weaving personal histories into garments and meticulous craftsmanship.

From Karan Johar paying painterly tribute to Raja Ravi Varma to Isha Ambani's bejewelled couture that blurred the lines between heirloom and innovation, here are the most iconic looks by Indian attendees this year.

Manish Malhotra's Magic

For his second appearance at the Met Gala, Indian couturier Manish Malhotra presented a deeply personal couture statement inspired by Mumbai. Wearing an Indian bandhgala layered with an architectural cape crafted over 960 hours by 50 artisans across Delhi and Mumbai, the designer transformed the garment into a living narrative of place, memory, and authorship.

Traditional Indian techniques — including dori work, zardozi, chikankari, and kasab in white and ivory — were integrated as storytelling, while the names and signatures of every artisan were embroidered directly into the lining and on the cape. Intricate hand-embroidery served as references to Mumbai's cinematic landmarks, while three-dimensional sculptural elements celebrated the artisans of his atelier who crafted the piece, positioning the look as both homage and declaration — asserting Indian craftsmanship as a leading voice in global couture. He accessorised the look with his signature MM collar pins from Manish Malhotra High Jewellery.

Bejewelled Brilliance

Isha Ambani made sure that all eyes were on her as she sauntered down the Met Gala carpet. She looked every inch a work of art in Gaurav Gupta Couture. Ambani wore a bejewelled blouse constructed with over 1,000 diamonds and precious stones totalling over 1,800 carats, including heirloom old mine diamonds, rare emeralds, and traditional polki and kundan elements drawn from Nita Ambani's personal collection.

Developed by 40 artisans across India, the piece brought together historic and contemporary jewellery forms within a single construction. The back of the blouse featured a historic sarpech from the Mughal era, formerly part of the Nizams of Hyderabad's collection. It was also her steel mango clutch by Indian artist Subodh Gupta that caught everyone's attention — apparently a 20-year-old piece.

Ananya Birla also wore a steel face mask from Subodh Gupta for her Met Gala debut, styled with a black Robert Wun dress.

Another very interesting look that received accolades at the Met Gala 2026 red carpet was by filmmaker Karan Johar. Keeping the art theme in mind, Johar wore a cape featuring the illustrious work of Raja Ravi Varma, designed by Manish Malhotra. Every motif was entirely hand-painted, and it took 86 days to bring it to life.

Manish Malhotra surely made an impact with his designs at the Met Gala 2026, and another example of his exemplary craftsmanship was seen on billionaire philanthropist Sudha Reddy. She championed the centuries-old textile art form of Kalamkari in a custom Manish Malhotra couture.

Realised over 3,459 hours by more than 90 artisans, the ensemble brought together zardozi, marodi, resham, and metalwork, merging traditional Indian hand-embroidery techniques with couture innovation. A sculpted, corseted silhouette in deep royal blue formed the foundation of the ensemble, anchored by Manish Malhotra's signature swirl construction. The monochromatic sapphire-wash palette extended into the jewellery, drawn from Reddy's personal collection and valued at $15 million, lending the look a sense of museum-worthy maximalism.

At its centre was a Victorian-finished necklace featuring triangular and pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds arranged in delicate floral clusters, anchored by the striking 550-carat Queen of Merelani deep violet-blue tanzanite sourced from Tanzania's Merelani Hills. The suite was completed with a 23-carat yellow diamond ring alongside a 30-carat rose-cut polki diamond ring from Rajasthan.

Royal Debuts

Talking of debuts, Sawai Padmanabh [Pacho] Singh, and his sister Gauravi Kumari, from the royal family of Jaipur, strutted down the Met Gala carpet. Kumari's gown incorporated her great-grandmother Gayatri Devi's chiffon sari, designed by Prabal Gurung. She paired the look with pearl strands from The Gem Palace — also a homage to her lineage.

Pacho looked every inch 'royal' in a Phulghar coat developed by Prabal Gurung and realised in Jaipur by Yash and Ashima Tholia. The piece took more than 600 hours to come to life and featured aari and zardozi embroidery finished with dabka and resham work. The back of his coat featured a mirror sun motif inspired by the Sri Niwas at the City Palace in Jaipur, connecting the garment to his Suryavanshi lineage.