This year, the theme of the MET Gala was 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty' to honour the fashion industry icon and one of the most acclaimed designers in the 20th century.

As a tribute to the designer, the red carpet wasn't red but one with an off-white base decorated with shades of blue and crimson. Event planner Raul Avila designed the carpet influenced by serpentine lines, which are also known as the lines of beauty. These S-shaped lines pay homage to the theme of the year, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. The concept of 'Line of Beauty', introduced by William Hogarth, was popularized in the 18th century. The idea suggests that S-shaped lines, which convey movement and vitality, are more attractive than straight and parallel lines, which are associated with stillness and death.

Made with 100 percent sisal fibres which are derived from the Agave plant, the Met Gala carpet was created by Neytt Extraweave, an Alleppey-based design house in Kerala led by two Indian designers, Sivan Santhosh and Nimisha Srinivas, in line with the vision of Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The 6960 square metre carpet was made out of 58 30x4 metre rolls and reportedly took 60 days to complete. Neytt Extraweave also supplied the main runway red carpet for Met Gala 2022.

Kerala is known for its handloom industry, which produces some of the finest textiles in the world. The intricate weaving techniques and designs used in the making of the Met Gala carpet reflect the unique cultural identity of the state as well as that of the design house, that has been in the carpet industry for 105 years, representing a collaboration between the fashion industry and traditional craftsmanship and heritage.

Follow Neytt Extraweave here.

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