The high price of Jeff Bezos’s Met Gala sponsorship in fashion
The involvement of Jeff Bezos as honorary chair and main source of funding for the Met Gala has sparked boycotts and criticism, leading some to say the event has lost its cachet. The Met Gala, held annually in New York, is known as the grandest and most glamorous event in the fashion calendar, symbolizing the close ties between designers, celebrities, and power. However, the addition of tech billionaires like Bezos to the mix has made this year’s party particularly controversial.
Jeff Bezos’s role and the controversy surrounding the Met Gala
Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, are serving as the Met Gala’s new honorary chairs and are among the 450 guests attending the event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Their involvement as the primary funders of both the gala and the accompanying fashion exhibition has drawn significant attention and criticism.
There have been rumors that Bezos might acquire Condé Nast, the parent company of Vogue, which organizes the gala. Speculation about this potential purchase has circulated since last year, with some suggesting it could be a wedding gift following the couple’s recent high-profile wedding in Venice. Lauren Sánchez Bezos even appeared on Vogue’s digital cover wearing a Dolce & Gabbana wedding gown.
The Bezos sponsorship has also led to boycotts and protests. Zohran Mamdani, breaking a long-standing tradition, chose not to attend the gala as New York’s mayor. Additionally, the British activist group Everyone Hates Elon has put up posters around New York criticizing Bezos’s involvement and plans to be present at the event. The group raised £15,000 in a week to support their campaign. A spokesperson for the group commented that Bezos’s participation makes Vogue seem irrelevant and questioned the billionaire’s fashion credentials.
Fashion, art, and the gala’s evolving theme
This year’s Met Gala theme, “fashion is art,” is tied to the Costume Institute’s exhibition, which explores the relationship between fashion and art through the lens of diverse body types. The exhibition features about 200 sculptures and artworks paired with 200 garments and accessories, highlighting bodies that have historically been marginalized in fashion and Western culture.
Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute, explained that the exhibition is divided into 13 thematic body types, including pregnant, aging, disabled, and various forms of nudity. Notable pieces include a contorted corset by Michaela Stark alongside Niki de Saint Phalle’s sculpture, a Roman Venus Pudica paired with a dress made from human hair by Dilara Findikoglu, and a Burberry trench coat belonging to disability activist Sinéad Burke.
Bolton noted that while the gala’s dress code is inspired by the exhibition’s theme, the actual outfits worn on the museum steps often only loosely connect to it. He anticipates a mix of goddess gowns and some literal interpretations of the theme, but also expressed concern that some attendees might misunderstand the concept.
Cally Blackman, a fashion history and theory lecturer at Central St Martins, hopes the theme will counter ongoing criticism about fashion’s cultural value. She emphasized that fashion is a powerful form of non-verbal communication and that museums like the Met and the Victoria & Albert Museum have only recently recognized its ability to attract visitors.
Bolton also highlighted the significance of the Costume Institute’s new permanent home, the Condé Nast Galleries, located centrally within the museum. He believes this placement symbolizes a growing recognition of fashion’s aesthetic, social, cultural, and personal importance.
The changing nature of the Met Gala
The Met Gala remains one of the most-watched red carpet events globally, with Vogue’s coverage attracting around 1 billion video views. Despite its philanthropic goal of raising funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, some critics argue that the event has become more about publicity than fashion.
Cally Blackman described the gala as “self-defeating,” suggesting that its focus on celebrity and media attention has diminished its original purpose. She also noted that the event’s prestige has declined partly due to its funding by Jeff Bezos, reflecting broader tensions about the influence of tech billionaires in cultural institutions.