Colombian Raúl Àvila is Back to Design the Met Gala 2026 Decor
Title: 2026 MET Museum Costume Institute Benefit Gala Image ID: 26124847919858 Article: Paloma Elsesser arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Costume Art" exhibition on Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
The Met Gala, also known as the most important night in fashion, is always underlined with a theme. The annual theme informs the dress code, and aligns with the accompanying exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“Fashion is Art” is the 2026 Met Gala dress code, and Raúl Àvila, the Colombian event designer is once again behind this abstract and poetic concept. He’s been designing the Met Gala design and decor since 2007.
“Fashion is Art” explores the concept of fashion and dressed body as forms of fine art. The concept is organized into themes related to the human physique— including the naked body, the classical body, the aging body, and the pregnant body, exploring garments’ relation to these human forms.
Àvila joined forces with Baz Luhrman and Derek McLane to create an atmospheric event that aligned with the conceptual theme. According to a Vogue interview, the team opted to center the decor on Northern Italian Gardens— a reference to renaissance art and romanticism.
This year’s event is unlike past red carpet rollouts. Attendees stand before a lush garden landscape with Italian shrubs, multicolored wisteria hanging across the tent’s ceilings and walls, and even a hand-painted carpet of mossy stone.
Ávila has been behind the Met Gala’s iconic event design for two decades, immersing himself into the Gala night’s annual showcase. He migrated to the United States from Bogota, Colombia at a very young age and learned from renowned event planner, Robert Isabell. Through a mentorship with Isabell, Avila met Anna Wintour and several celebrities who he had worked with throughout his career.