Encrust us all in crystals—Swarovski stole the show at this year’s Met Gala
It is, for the fashion industry, the shiniest night of the year. The day we dust off our critic badges, slide onto the couch in our pyjamas and enthusiastically eviscerate every look coming up the infamous Met steps – the good, the boring, and the supremely ugly. Designers partner with celebrities, models and influencers to produce thematic outfits linked to the museum’s annual fashion exhibition, and each year we crown our winners of the gala – there are veterans like Zendaya, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian who have become icons of the Met, and there are the newbies, like Chase Infiniti who was easily one of this year’s best dressed.
And then there are the designers. From Robert Wun to Versace, each year the myriad voices – from Instagram to the NY Times fashion pages – aim to pick who did the best job of interpreting the theme. Who created the best new look, or pulled the best archival piece? Who managed to be extravagant without erring into costume party territory? Each year, though, there’s one heralded house that hits the brief, time and time again — Swarovski.
This year, one of the best dressed was easily Ejae, the actress and singer who shot to global fame for her role in K-Pop Demon Hunters. Quite literally shining as she made her way down the Neytt by Extraweave-designed carpet, her corset and fine mesh skirt were embellished with over 700,000 Swarovski Crystals, painstakingly crafted over 84 hours. The inspiration, according to creative director Givoanna Engelbert, came from the brilliance of light on marble. “I wanted to create a crystal sculpture,” she explains. “Something that merges classical beauty with her own cultural identity, using crystal to sculpt the body.”
The brand also dressed co-chair Venus Williams, with a focus on a statement necklace inspired by a portrait of Williams herself hanging in the Smithsonian. The piece, featuring 3,800 hand-placed stones that took 700 hours to create, is an almost faithful replication of the necklace Williams is depicted wearing in the painting. Swarovski crystals themselves featured on many of the other best looks of the night; from Naomi Osaka’s Robert Wun-designed red gown, to Cher’s classic jewellery.
Since 2024, the brand has dominated The Met Gala, with dazzling looks that elegantly toe the line between red carpet sophistication and the playful esoteric nature of the gala’s themes. This year’s looks proved that Swarovski is set to become one of the gala’s most anticipated going forward.
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