From Karan Johar to Dwayne Johnson: How Manish Malhotra quietly took over the Met Gala 2026’s fashion carpet

The first Monday of May is always booked for fashion’s biggest night of the year: the annually held Met Gala in New York City. As celebrities and fashionistas from all over the world fly in, this year the carpet saw several Indian-origin stars making their debut. Among them was India’s most renowned fashion designer, Manish Malhotra, who not only walked the carpet for the second time but also showcased some of his designs, sharing his fashion language with the world—which truly did not feel like an accident.

Hollywood stars Dwayne Johnson, Camila Mendes, Sudha Reddy, and Indian filmmaker Karan Johar all stepped on the fashion carpet wearing Manish Malhotra couture. Well, each served different moods, but their DNA felt strikingly the same. Malhotra didn’t just dress these three celebs but orchestrated a moment. His own ensemble felt like a dream. He wore a black bandhgala suit with sleek trousers and layered a dramatic black cape with heavily embroidered ivory detailing, which featured a 960-hour project involving 50 artisans, whose signatures and names were all mentioned, along with motifs inspired by the dream city of India, Mumbai.

(Image Credits: Instagram)

Actor Dwayne Johnson graced the steps of the Met Gala in a dapper-looking tuxedo with a slight twist. He paired the cropped suit with a pleated skirt, which gave an unconventional masculine energy, and matched it with a signature Manish Malhotra brooch set. It featured emeralds and diamonds from Manish Malhotra High Jewellery.

(Image Credits: Instagram)

Camila wore a mahogany customised couture gown by Manish Malhotra, which was inspired by the women in Amrita Sher-Gil’s paintings. The structured gown came with a corseted base and hand-ruched French chiffon detailing with a sculptural knot around the hip. The surface looked dry with brush strokes like pleats and was completed by high jewellery in tourmalines, uncut diamonds, and 18k gold from Manish Malhotra High Jewellery.

(Image Credits: Instagram)

Karan Johar wore a stunning ensemble which was an ode to Raja Ravi Varma and featured some of his most celebrated works, like Hamsa Damayanti, Kadambari, and Arjuna and Subhadra, among others. The outfit featured multiple art forms and celebrated Indian art and craftsmanship like no other, with 3D sculpting detailing, zardozi embroidery, hand painting, and quilting.

(Image Credits: Instagram)

Philanthropist Sudha Reddy wore an ensemble envisioned by Manish Malhotra, in collaboration with Mariel Haenn, which was the Tree of Life. Inspired by Kalamkari art, her couture featured sculpted velvet detailing, antique gold zari, and intricate zardozi with motifs of Palapitta, Jammi Chettu, Kalpavriksha, Tangedu, Surya, Chandra, and Kalpa that brought a sense of Indian vintage nostalgia.