Isha Ambani made a strong case for championing Indian fashion and art at the Met Gala 2026.
She attended the fashion world’s biggest night in a custom-made saree look by designer Gaurav Gupta, featuring hand-painted Pichwai-inspired motifs, and a sculptural cape, Gupta’s signature element.
The saree was woven with threads of pure gold by artisans from Swadesh, an artisan-only retail brand launched by Reliance Retail.
The blouse was also embedded with real diamonds. The back of the blouse was further enlivened with a rich piece of history, a dazzling sarpech once part of the Nizam’s jewellery collection.
“The blouse is full of my mother’s jewellery pieces,” Ambani said in an interview to Vogue on the red carpet.
The blouse was also embedded with real diamonds. The back of the blouse was further enlivened with a rich piece of history, a dazzling sarpech once part of the Nizam’s jewellery collection.
“The blouse is full of my mother’s jewellery pieces,” Ambani said in an interview to Vogue on the red carpet.
“Over 1800 carats of diamonds, alongside emeralds, polki and kundan, are embedded into the garment (the blouse), transforming it into a living surface of inheritance and form,” designer Gaurav Gupta wrote in an Instagram post.
But that is not where the details of Ambani’s latest striking Met Gala look end. Along with her stunning saree and jewels, she also carried a piece of art to the red carpet, a mango sculpture by Subodh Gupta in a crochet bag. The sculpture was not only a nod to India’s heritage but also a literal embodiment of art in hand, perfectly complementing this year’s ‘Fashion is Art’ theme.
Subodh Gupta is a renowned Indian contemporary artist known for transforming everyday objects like utensils and food into striking large-scale artworks.
Adding more Indian touches to her Met Gala look, Ambani also embraced a gajra-inspired sculpture in her hair. The accessory was an artistic reinterpretation of the traditional mogra gajra, handcrafted using paper, copper and brass by Brooklyn-based artist Sourabh Gupta.
Isha Ambani set the India-forward tone early with her appearance in an exquisite bandage dress that quite literally mapped India at a pre-Met Gala bash in New York City on May 1. The dress was made using 26 different kinds of borders, each representing a distinct region and craft of India.
Over the last three years, Ambani has consistently worn Indian designers at the Met Gala. In 2024, she chose a floral gown by Rahul Mishra. The previous year, she wore an androgynous ensemble by Anamika Khanna. And this year, she continued the streak in this regal Gaurav Gupta X Swadesh saree.
