Met Gala drops its 2027 theme after backlash at designer 'racist' outburst
Met Gala drops its 2027 theme after backlash at designer 'racist' outburst
Eleanor Tolbert Mon, August 31, 2026 at 2:01 PM UTC
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art won't be proceeding with its planned theme for the 2027 fashion exhibition -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
The Metropolitan Museum of Art won't be proceeding with its planned theme for the 2027 fashion exhibition.
The Spring exhibit was set to commemorate the career of fashion designer John Galliano, though the pick received backlash due to a 2011 video of him making antisemitic and racist remarks in a Paris café. Galliano, 65 took to Instagram with a statement, saying it's best that the exhibition, called 'John Galliano: Horizons,' does not "take place at this time."
He said, "After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time.” This comes after Venus Williams exposed the behind-the-scenes during last year's event.
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"I do not want the debate surrounding me to place the Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute. I also recognise and respect that an exhibition honouring my work would be painful for some.”
He continued, “I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry. I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture. It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning and one’s conduct over time.”
Max Hollein, director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, said, per Vogue: “Following thoughtful discussions with many stakeholders and with John Galliano, we together have decided not to proceed with the exhibition.”
And Anna Wintour, former editor-in-chief and current editorial director of Vogue, said in a statement, "John’s decision to ask the Museum to postpone the exhibition devoted to his work is very courageous and a measure of the man he is. I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support. His soaring imagination, fed by a lifetime of curiosity and research, is matched by his exceptional craft. Cut, fit, the evocative line of a bias-cut dress, color—he’s a master of it all.
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"Without one or the other, if his technique wasn’t equal to his storytelling talents, he wouldn’t be the premiere couturier of his generation. But he most certainly is. From the staged-on-a-shoestring feat that was his Fall 1994 show at the Sao Schlumberger Hotel Particulier in Paris to his tour de force swansong at Maison Margiela Artisanal for Spring 2024, Galliano gave fashion its most marvelous shows. The way that Christian Dior called Cristobal Balenciaga 'the master of us all,' a generation of designers have looked to Galliano as the greatest. His impact reverberates across generations, not least of all with Dior’s current creative director Jonathan Anderson, who calls Galliano one of his heroes."
More information about a new Spring exhibition for the Costume Institute will be announced at a later date.
This was only the third time the Met Gala was set to honor a designer who was still living. The first was Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 and the second was Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons in 2017.
Galliano started his career in 1995 at Givenchy before serving as creative director of Dior from 1997 to 2011. Following the 2011 video, he became creative director of Parisian fashion house Maison Margiela fro 2014 to 2024.
In the video, Galliano is captured confessing his love for Hitler in the restaurant La Perle. He was arrested in February 2011 after being accused of verbally assaulting two people, including a man named Philippe Virgitti.
He was later convicted of two hate crimes in Paris, which resulted in him facing a fine equivalent to $8,500. One was the incident on the video, and the other was at the same bar in October 2010, where he was accused of insulting a 40-year-old woman.
Galliano took the stand to defend himself at the trial, where he said he didn't remember the assault due to his triple addiction to sleeping pills, Valium, and alcohol. He told the courtroom at the time that he had an addiction and was seeking treatment.
In a 2024 documentary 'High & Low — John Galliano' by Kevin Macdonald, the designer addressed the incidents.
“It was a disgusting thing, foul thing that I did. It was just horrific," Galliano said. “I can say I’m not racist, but every day you actually learn that all of us are a bit. But we just need to unlearn it and like immigrants. I am one. I was one.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
