Desi does dandyism: Met Gala 2025 spotlights two major South Asian designers

Daily Mirror

06-05-2025

Two Indian designers and their muses made a big splash at the 2025 Met Gala, employing generations of Indian craftsmanship and exquisite silks for their take on Black dandyism
Two major Indian designers walked the 2025 Met Gala carpet, bringing a distinctly Desi flare to the dress code. The theme of this year's event was tailoring through the lens of Black dandyism, with many celebrities arriving in meticulously tailored suits and high-glam custom gowns.
Indian designers Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra paid homage to Indian tailoring tradition at the event, through their own looks and those of their muses. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, renowned for his intricate sarees and gowns for brides and Bollywood elite, was determined to bring a 'uniquely Indian exuberance' to the event.
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Sabyasachi Mukherjee made his return to the carpet after becoming the first Indian designer to attend the Met Gala in 2024. But this year, Sabyasachi was played a hand in another significant debut as he dressed Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan.
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The filmstar arrived on the carpet sporting a floor-length coat made of Tasmanian superfine wool, paired with a silk shirt and wool trousers. The design was infused with homages to Indian design and culture, fitted with a silk kamarbandh (a traditional Indian accessory similar to a cummerbund) and a Bengal Tiger Head Cane crafted in 18-karat gold and fitted with sapphires, diamonds and tourmalines.
Mukherjee's own look was inspired by the noble houses of India. The designer rocked up on the carpet wearing a hand-quilted court jacket and sherwani in hand-dyed silk paired with a kamarbandh. His look was completed with embroidered shows and pieces from his brand's Bengal Royale fine jewellery collection.
Mukherjee shared a lengthy statement on his Instagram page, explaining how Black dandyism's origin as a form of protest against racial and social discrimination inspired his vision, but he focused his designs on India's distinct history. 'The tradition of wearing neckties was inherited from the British colonial era, where formal dressing was a mark of elegance and refinement…In the Sabyasachi world the tie has been replaced with hand crafted Indian necklaces; formal for sure and richer indeed," he wrote.
Mukherjee was not the only Indian designer of note at the event. The 2025 Met Gala marked the first attendance by Manish Malhotra, who also dressed the 'Indian Empress of Style' Natasha Poonawalla in a custom couture look. For Poonawalla's look, the Black dandyism theme was 'reframed through the language of Indian couture' and 'honours her Parsi ancestry while affirming her place as a modern-day cultural force.'
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Her 'imperial purple' fishtail skirt and intricately embroidered look was reengineered from two vintage Parsi Gara saris - showcasing a legacy of exquisite tapestry and generations of craftsmanship from India.
Her highly-praised look also included a corset-cummerbund, meant to capture the essence of dandyism 'where restraint meets regality" according to Manish Malhotra's official statement on the look.
Malhotra himself wore a sharply tailored white shirt and a cape-style blazer with padded shoulders and intricate embroidery. His jewellery of a silver lion brooch and two elephant brooches shone bright on the carpet.
Other South Asian designers of note at the event included Rahul Mishra, who designed a look for Isha Ambani and Gaurav Gupta, the avant-garde Indian couturier who designed Mindy Kaling 's look.