The Metropolitan Museum of Art has scrapped its planned 2027 costume exhibition honoring designer John Galliano, following a wave of criticism from patrons, New York politicians, and prominent Jewish leaders who objected to celebrating a man known for antisemitic and racist remarks. The decision, announced this week, marks a rare public defeat for Vogue editor-in-chief and Met Gala co-chair Anna Wintour, who had spent years orchestrating Galliano's comeback.
Excitement turns to disappointment for vintage dealers
Johnny Valencia, owner of Pechuga Vintage in Los Angeles, had been preparing for the gala, sourcing rare archival pieces for celebrity clients like Beyoncé and Rihanna. “There was a lot of excitement around this theme,” Valencia said. “There had not been this much excitement since camp,” referring to the Met's 2019 celebration of outrageous fashion. Valencia had located a 2004 gold-dripped Egyptian-themed Galliano gown and had contacts in Paris ready to purchase Dior couture. “There was definitely pressure to find the best of the best,” he said.
The pressure evaporated when the Met announced the exhibition “will not proceed as planned.” The decision came after a letter from Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council, who called Galliano's outbursts “deeply troubling” and argued that publicly funded institutions “have a responsibility to demonstrate that hatred and bigotry carry consequences.”
Galliano's downfall and Wintour's rehabilitation campaign
In 2010, Galliano was caught on video saying “I love Hitler” at a Parisian cafe and telling patrons their ancestors would have been “gassed.” Months later, he used a racial slur against an Asian patron. He lost his creative director post at Dior, entered rehab, and was convicted of a hate crime in a Paris court. Galliano, sober for 15 years, has said he was living with a “triple addiction” to alcohol, sleeping pills, and Valium.
Wintour, a longtime champion, brokered his comeback. A 2013 Vanity Fair profile, “Galliano in the Wilderness,” depicted his “efforts to atone,” including meetings with rabbis and the Anti-Defamation League. Wintour said, “We need the dreamers. We need those designers who create a magic moment, a world that changes the way you look at clothes.” Galliano led Maison Margiela from 2014 to 2024, staging a critically acclaimed final show. Zara announced a collaboration with him, set to release this month.
Insiders shocked by the reversal
Fashion insiders expressed surprise at the Met's decision. Lauren Sherman, who writes the Puck newsletter Line Sheet, said, “I didn't see this coming. I think that's a reflection of being too sheltered by the fashion industry. I didn't speak to one person who ever thought this could happen.” Dana Thomas, author of God and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, described a decades-long “rehabilitation campaign” by Wintour. “There was a master plan. This was Project Galliano. Wintour was easing him back to the mainstream, but in the end, everyone was not OK with that.”
Part of that plan included a documentary. Thomas said Wintour approached three directors who turned it down because of her demands. Kevin Macdonald eventually directed High & Low – John Galliano (2023), in which Galliano called his hate crime “a disgusting thing, foul thing I did.” Macdonald said, “Wintour was incredibly helpful and wanted the documentary to be made. She expended a lot of political capital on Galliano. She didn't need to and has nothing to gain from it. I think she genuinely thinks he's a great talent.”
Impact on Galliano's legacy and future events
Galliano's designs remain influential, from the Dior saddle bag to the newspaper print dress worn by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, which came from a controversial 2000 collection inspired by homeless people. His vintage pieces still fetch thousands of dollars. Valencia called the Galliano customer “a sexy nerd. She knows her shit and the history around why a piece was made. And she'll pay the price for it.”
Sherman noted that had the gala proceeded, Galliano's work would have seen a boom in interest. “Next summer he would have been everywhere because people have had way more exposure to Galliano and Dior pieces. I'm sure [that not happening] means that future sales could be muffled.” The Zara collaboration, however, appears to still be on track. “I know people who have seen the collection,” Sherman said. “They say it's pretty unique. It's not super commercial. If anything, more people know the name Galliano than they did last week.”
The Met Gala remains without a theme for 2027. Calls to cancel the event entirely have emerged, including from Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Robin Givhan in a New York Times opinion column. This year's gala, themed “costume art,” raised $42m for the Costume Institute. Sherman suggested focusing on sports, pointing to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: “That's not going to offend anyone.” Thomas's followers proposed Armani, Christian Lacroix, Issey Miyake, and Oscar de la Renta, but her pick is Ralph Lauren. “If anyone should be celebrated in New York, it's Ralph Lifshitz, who got his start selling ties out of an office in the Empire State Building.”
