The fashion in the new exhibition will focus on “undersung beauty and allure of quotidian garments”

NEED TO KNOW

• The Met Museum Costume Institute announced its new 2027 exhibition after designer John Galliano backed out of the original exhibit
• On Nov. 5,Vogue announced the new theme of fashion’s night to be “extraORDINARY: fashion and the poetics of the everyday”
• The “John Galliano: Horizons” exhibit received backlash due to the past controversies of the designer, who was charged with two hate crimes in 2011

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute has announced its new spring 2027 exhibition and Met Gala theme after designer John Galliano dropped out of the original exhibit.

On Nov. 5, Vogue announced “extraORDINARY: fashion and the poetics of the everyday,” which will be curated by curator in charge Andrew Bolton alongside Stephanie Kramer and Emily Mushaben.

The publication states that the exhibition “will be devoted to the undersung beauty and allure of quotidian garments—think the aforementioned t-shirts and jeans, plus raincoats, sweatshirts, puffer jackets, and more.”

View this post on Instagram

The description continued: “It will ask visitors ‘to see the everyday anew,’ says Bolton, and come at its subject from two perspectives: First, exploring how designers have reinvented and elevated archetypal garments to runway-worthy creations and then, secondly, highlight how humble, even ‘disposable’ materials—like paper, aluminum, and plastic—are transformed into wearable art.”

“It was really important to come up with an exhibition that wasn’t just a masterwork show or something that we could do a little bit more easily,” Bolton added “That was really important to me: to come up with an idea that wasn’t a substitute. And it had to have some sort of contemporary resonance.”

On Monday, Aug. 31, the museum, together with Galliano, announced plans to halt the original 2027 show. It was announced on July 31 that the spring exhibit would be titled “John Galliano: Horizons,” marking it only the third time a living designer would have been the focus of the exhibit (the first was Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 and the second was Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons in 2017).

Galliano, now 65, started his career at Givenchy in 1995 before he took over as creative director of Dior from 1997 to 2011. From 2014 to 2024, he was the creative director of the Parisian fashion house Maison Margiela.

The announcement received backlash in light of Galliano’s previous controversies. The designer was one of the couture fashion industry’s most influential names and visionaries throughout the ‘90s and early ‘00s, before he upended his career in 2011 following a string of antisemitic and racist incidents, including the infamous video in which he professed his love for Hitler at a restaurant in Paris.

Following his multiple outbursts, Galliano was convicted of committing two hate crimes in Paris and faced a fine equivalent to $8,500.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In Kevin Macdonald’s 2024 documentary, High & Low — John Galliano, which includes footage of the two attacks, Galliano admits: “It was a disgusting thing, foul thing that I did. It was just horrific.”

Reflecting on the events, the designer, who was born in the British territory Gibraltar, adds, “I can say I’m not racist, but every day you actually learn that all of us are a bit. But we just need to unlearn it and like immigrants. I am one. I was one.”

Per Vogue, Galliano said of the decision to back out of the exhibit: “After much reflection and discussion with The Met and all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time.”

He continued, “I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry for it. I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture. It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning and one’s conduct over time.”

In her own statement, Anna Wintour shared, in part: “John’s decision to ask the Museum to postpone the exhibition devoted to his work is very courageous and a measure of the man he is. I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support.”

#Met #Gala #Theme #Announced #John #Galliano #Backed #Original #Exhibit #Due #Backlash