'Nature is calling' - Janelle Monae, Maluma, Adrien Brody arrive at Met Gala

Artists including Manish Malholtra, Luke Evans and Janelle Monae immersed themselves in the "Fashion is Art" theme of the 2026 Met Gala.

The Indian designer, Malholtra embraced icons of workers toiling behind the scenes on his shoulder, Evans, who is starring in current production of, "Rocky Horror," in New York, gave a nod to a '70's cult gay artist, Tom of Finland. 

The Met Gala brought its annual parade of high fashion to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday (May 4), with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour serving as co-chairs for the Costume Institute fundraiser.

The annual fundraiser, held on the first Monday in May, raises money for the museum’s Costume Institute and is timed to celebrate the opening of its major spring fashion show. This year’s dress code is “Fashion is Art,” inviting guests to interpret fashion as an embodied art form.

Few dove in like Janelle Monae, who dressed in green in a nod to the environment. 

"Remember what it made you a human. Nature is talking to us. Nature is trying to speak," she said.

The event raised about $31 million in 2025, the biggest gross in its 77-year history, according to museum officials.

Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz will co-chair the gala host committee, whose members include Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Angela Bassett, Misty Copeland, LISA, Sam Smith and Teyana Taylor.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, lead sponsors of the gala and exhibition, will serve as honorary chairs.

-Production: Andrew Hofstetter, Alicia Powell, Dan Fastenberg/Reuters