John Galliano, the Met Gala, and a Massive Miscalculation…

Not Really That Shocking, Was It?

The “it,” in this instance, being the cancellation of the proposed John Galliano Met Gala theme. Unprecedented? Sure. Shocking? Not exactly. Frankly, the second the theme was announced, all of my fashion friends and I looked at one another and said, “Really?”

John Galliano is, technically and creatively speaking, an absolute juggernaut. His influence on modern fashion is undeniable, his archive is extraordinary, and his ability to create spectacle is practically unmatched. But then there is the other, considerably less glamorous part of the story: his history of antisemitic and anti-Asian remarks.

Which makes the whole thing feel less like a bold curatorial choice and more like a collective episode of fashion-industry psychosis.

At some point, a group of very wealthy, very powerful people seemingly decided that Galliano had been sufficiently rehabilitated — heavily aided, of course, by Anna Wintour — and that we were all ready to celebrate him. And, if you are properly insulated inside the fashion bubble, I can understand how they got there.

Galliano received near-universal critical praise for his Artisanal Spring/Summer 2024 collection at Maison Margiela. His newer and archival work began appearing on celebrities and fashion insiders again. His Dior-era gowns were commanding staggering prices at auction. Within the fashion world, the narrative had gradually shifted from disgraced designer to controversial genius who has redeemed himself. For someone deeply engrossed in fashion, it might even seem as though the slate had been wiped clean.

The problem is that the Met Gala is not a fashion-industry dinner party.

Well, what do you mean, Cooper?

I mean that the Met Gala is one of the only events in fashion where people who genuinely could not care less about fashion for the other 364 days of the year suddenly have an opinion. Everyone watches the carpet. Everyone has seen the memes. Everyone has an Instagram feed full of celebrities in increasingly elaborate outfits the following morning. The Met Gala is fashion’s Super Bowl. It is spectacle, celebrity, culture and, crucially, public-facing. And the general public remembers things differently than the fashion industry does.

The fashion crowd has spent the better part of a decade watching Galliano’s rehabilitation unfold. They know about his apologies. They know about his struggles with substance abuse. They know about his work at Maison Margiela. They know the critical conversation surrounding his return.

The average person does not.

For many people outside the fashion world, the last time they heard the name John Galliano was when the designer was making headlines for hateful remarks and subsequently losing his position at Dior. Now imagine hearing, years later, that the same designer is being celebrated as the centerpiece of the biggest night in fashion. It is not difficult to understand why that might prompt a collective, “Excuse me?”

And honestly, I think Galliano himself calling off the proposed event was the right move. He took responsibility for the controversy when, arguably, the greater responsibility belonged with the Costume Institute and the people who selected the theme in the first place.

Galliano did not ask to be honored by the Met Gala. The institution chose to honor him.

That distinction matters.

What I am really interested to see now is: what happens next? Met Gala themes are not exactly picked on a whim over lunch. These exhibitions take years of planning, research, fundraising, loans, logistics and donor commitments. You cannot simply throw a new theme into the calendar three months before the gala and hope everyone involved has a change of heart.

So what does the Met do? Do they move up a future exhibition? Do they resurrect an idea that was previously shelved? Do they attempt to build an entirely new concept from scratch? And, perhaps most importantly, what happens to the donors and institutions that have already invested in the Galliano exhibition?

Because canceling the theme may have been the easy part. Now comes the truly entertaining question:

What the hell are they going to replace it with?