Cover Rihanna attends the China: Through The Looking Glass 2015 Met Gala. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Rihanna attends the China: Through The Looking Glass 2015 Met Gala. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
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We look back at ten Met Galas and the Asian designers who dressed guests at them, from Robert Wun and Prabal Gurung to Guo Pei, the first born-and-raised Asian designer to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture
The 2026 Met Gala will take place on May 4, the customary “first Monday in May”. With this year’s theme, Fashion is Art, we can expect guests to go all out, collaborating closely with their favourite designers to celebrate the artistry of couture.
We already know that Tatler’s May cover star, Robert Wun, will have his designs featured both at Costume Art, the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; we have no doubt a celebrity or two will also wear his work on the red carpet. But we doubt his designs will be the sole example of Asian representation at this year’s event.
Read more: Robert Wun on ballet, Wong Kar-wai and refusing to be boxed in
In recent years, the Met Gala has seen a proliferation of Asian designers such as Gaurav Gupta, Prabal Gurung and Vera Wang dressing stars for the Met Gala. What’s more, some years have specifically focused on either Asian influence—as with the 2015 theme China Through the Looking Glass—or Asian designers, with the 2017 theme Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons Art of the In-Between dedicated to the Japanese designer’s work. So we’re pretty confident that the Met Gala 2026 will bring some Asian excellence to the red carpet.
In the meantime, we take a look back at ten years of our favourite Met Gala looks by Asian designers.
2015 Rihanna in Guo Pei
One of the most iconic images from any Met Gala, Barbadian singer Rihanna took up most of the Metropolitan Museum’s legendary staircase in this striking golden gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei, the first born-and-raised Asian designer to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
In case you missed it Chinese couturier Guo Pei on why she only wears Issey Miyake
2016 Elle Fanning and Alexa Chung in Thakoon
Above Elle Fanning, Thakoon Panichgul and Alexa Chung at the 2016 Met Gala, Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic)
Elle Fanning, Thakoon Panichgul and Alexa Chung at the 2016 Met Gala, Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic)
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A newly 18-year-old Elle Fanning and Alexa Chung opted to wear Thai American designer Thakoon.
2017 Rihanna in Rei Kawakubo
Above Rihanna attends the 2017 Met Gala, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between, wearing Rei Kawakubo. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Rihanna attends the 2017 Met Gala, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between, wearing Rei Kawakubo. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
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Riri made all the headlines again, championing another Asian designer who just so happened to be the muse for the Met Gala in 2017, themed Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between. She wore an architectural marvel by the guest of honour.
2018 Prabal Gurung’s bespoke atelier line
Above Prabal Gurung (front) debuted his bespoke atelier line at the 2018 Met Gala, themed Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination. From left: Troye Sivan, Hailee Steinfeld, Eiza Gonzalez, Diane Kruger, Gabrielle Union and Ming Xi wore pieces from the collection; Virgil Abloh, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner look on. (Photo: Kevin Tachman/Getty Images)
Prabal Gurung (front) debuted his bespoke atelier line at the 2018 Met Gala, themed Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination. From left: Troye Sivan, Hailee Steinfeld, Eiza Gonzalez, Diane Kruger, Gabrielle Union and Ming Xi wore pieces from the collection; Virgil Abloh, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner look on. (Photo: Kevin Tachman/Getty Images)
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Nepali American designer Prabal Gurung is a red-carpet favourite, so perhaps his decision to unveil a new line, of couture-level gowns. He dressed Hailee Steinfeld, Diane Kruger, Deepika Padukone, Gabrielle Union, Ashley Graham, Ming Xi, Eiza Gonzalez and Hikari Mori.
Read more: How Prabal Gurung, Bing Chen and Kevin Lin are changing the future of the Asian diaspora
2019: Nichapat Suphap in Tomo Koizumi
Thai fashion consultant Nichapat Suphap chose to wear a frothy concoction by Japanese designer Tomo Koizumi for the 2019 Met Gala, themed Camp: Notes on Fashion.
2021: Gurung and Wang
Above Prabal Gurung and Gemma Chan, wearing a Prabal Gurung design inspired by Anna May Wong, at the 2021 Met Gala, Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion. (Photos: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Prabal Gurung and Gemma Chan, wearing a Prabal Gurung design inspired by Anna May Wong, at the 2021 Met Gala, Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion. (Photos: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
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Gemma Chan paid tribute to Anna May Wong, considered the first Chinese American actor in Hollywood, in this Prabal Gurung minidress.
Above Emily Ratajkowski and Vera Wang, both in Vera Wang, at the 2021 Met Gala. (Photo: Arturo Holmes/MG21/Getty Images)
Above Amanda Gorman, wearing Vera Wang, at the 2021 Met Gala. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Emily Ratajkowski and Vera Wang, both in Vera Wang, at the 2021 Met Gala. (Photo: Arturo Holmes/MG21/Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, model and activist Emily Ratajkowski and poet Amanda Gorman both went with Vera Wang—as did the designer herself.
2022: Peter and Prabal
Prabal Gurung was back, this time dressing Michelle Yeoh in this glorious emerald shade.
Vietnamese American designer Peter Do dressed Johnny Suh of K-pop band NCT 127, as well as journalist Eva Chen.
2023: Eileen Gu in Robert Wun
Above Eileen Gu wears Robert Wun for the 2023 Met Gala. (Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for The Mark)
Eileen Gu wears Robert Wun for the 2023 Met Gala. (Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for The Mark)
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Olympic prodigy Eileen Gu dressed in a striking, “wine-spattered” design by Robert Wun, the first Hong Kong designer to ever show at Paris Haute Couture Week.
2024: Gupta! Sabyasachi! Windowsen! And more!
Cardi B wearing Windowsen for the 2024 Met Gala themed Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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The 2024 Met Gala theme The Garden of Time saw an even broader range of Asian designers dressing guests, with designs ranging from the labour-intensive embroidery on Alia Bhatt’s Sabyaschi gown to model Amelia Gray Hamlin’s terrarium by designer Jun Takahashi’s Undercover brand.
2025 From Anamika Khanna to Robert Wun
Lauren Hill wearing Cheney Chan at the 2025 Met Gala celebrating the exhibition ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’. (Photo: XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
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Last year’s theme paid tribute to Black dandyism and tailoring, which Asian designers, from Cheney Chan to Gaurav Gupta, celebrated, while continuing to shine a light on Asian excellence and eastern aesthetics.
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