When Designers Became the Muse: Sabyasachi & Manish Malhotra at Met Gala 2025
For a change, India’s top fashion designers—Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra—stepped into the spotlight wearing their own creations as they walked the iconic Met Gala red carpet in New York. Known for dressing Bollywood’s elite and international celebrities, this time they chose to be the canvas for their own couture.
The 2025 Met Gala theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," was a tribute to the legacy of Black fashion, particularly focusing on Black dandyism and tailored menswear. Both designers interpreted this theme through a blend of historical reverence and South Asian craftsmanship.
Manish Malhotra: A Regal Ode to 35 Years in Cinema
Celebrating 35 years in the film industry and 20 years of his couture label, Manish Malhotra made his Met Gala debut with a statement look that was both culturally rooted and contemporary. He wore a rich velvet ensemble featuring a floor-length Inverness-style cape layered over a sharply tailored sherwani and blazer, inspired by 19th-century dandy fashion.
The outfit was crafted with cord embroidery, gold accents, and glass beads, reflecting traditional Indian artisanal work. A standout element was the celestial brooch cluster on his chest—pieces from his high jewellery line—which honored Indian artisans and echoed the rising trend of men’s jewellery in modern fashion.
Sabyasachi: Indian Elegance Meets Philosophical Fashion
Though not his first Met appearance, Sabyasachi’s 2025 look stood out for its storytelling. He embraced the theme of dandyism with a uniquely Indian lens, fusing colonial-era fashion critique with the regal traditions of India’s noble families.
He wore a hand-quilted court jacket and sherwani made of hand-dyed Murshidabad silk, styled with quilted black trousers, a satin shirt, kamarbandh, and embroidered shoes. Instead of a traditional tie, he adorned layers of handcrafted necklaces from his Bengal Royale jewellery collection, replacing colonial fashion with Indian opulence.
Sabyasachi explained, “In our world, the tie has been replaced by Indian jewellery—formal, but more meaningful.”
Beyond dressing themselves, their fashion impact reached further: Sabyasachi styled Shah Rukh Khan for his Met Gala debut, while Manish Malhotra designed a bold look for philanthropist Natasha Poonawalla.
