Zara scores a hat trick at the Met Gala

On Monday, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City opened its traditional spring fashion exhibition. As usual, the show is organized by the Costume Institute, whose annual charity gala – better known as the Met Gala – marks the start. This year, the focus was particularly on Zara and the Spanish Inditex group.

The exhibition was organized by the Costume Institute, financed by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos and supported by the fashion house Saint Laurent and the publishing group Condé Nast. Under the allegorical title “Costume Art,” the exhibition will be open to the public from May 10th.

The show puts fashion in a direct dialogue with art: clothing and accessories are juxtaposed with selected works of art, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper and objects from the decorative arts. The majority of the exhibits come from the museum’s own collection and are supplemented by significant loans. Designs by Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Marine Serre, Jean Paul Gaultier and Madeleine Vionnet are represented, among others.

The Spanish fashion house Loewe and Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo are also represented. Fortuny is considered the creator of the iconic Delphos dress, which attracted widespread attention in the 1920s. These works enter into a dialogue with works by Andy Warhol, photographs by Alfred Stieglitz and Richard Avedon, and the painting “La Comida del ciego” by Pablo Picasso. The exhibition is divided into 15 thematic areas with titles such as “Naked & Nude Body”, “Bodily Being in Its Diversity”, “Classical Body” and “Abstract Body”.

The curatorial focus no longer sees fashion as a mere accessory, but as an independent, interpretative element. At the center is the clothed body as a medium of expression, not at the edge but at the core of art historical considerations.

Zara scores a hat trick at the Met Gala with first Galliano design

The exhibition theme traditionally dictates the dress code for the gala guests. This year, however, the motto was deliberately kept open and left plenty of scope for individual interpretations.

Zara’s debut in particular attracted attention on the red carpet. Inditex’s main brand dressed three prominent guests. Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny appeared in a sleek black tuxedo with bow detail.

Stevie Nicks also made her Met Gala red carpet debut. She wore John Galliano’s first design for Zara – a baroque-looking creation in midnight blue with a velvet corset that is reminiscent of his time at Dior and at the same time provides a glimpse of his new role as the brand’s creative collaborator.

Also present was Marta Ortega, Non-Executive Chairwoman of Inditex, who attended the gala for the first time. She was accompanied by her husband Carlos Torretta. She wore a flowing satin dress with a chiffon bodice, also in midnight blue.

With this appearance, Zara and Inditex have taken a remarkable step. The change from a classic fast fashion provider to a more curated, high-quality understanding of fashion is becoming increasingly clear. This meant they were able to hold their own against competitors like Mango on the red carpet.

Zara competitor Mango had already celebrated its Met Gala debut in 2019 when it outfitted Sofía Sánchez de Betak. The US brand Gap was also present in 2026 and, together with Zac Posen, designed a tailor-made outfit for Kendall Jenner. The design referenced the brand’s iconic white T-shirt, but reinterpreted it in a silhouette reminiscent of Galliano’s late work at Maison Margiela.