The Metropolitan Museum of Art has dropped plans for an exhibition celebrating British fashion designer John Galliano, months before it was due to coincide with the 2027 Met Gala.
What happened to John Galliano?
He joined Givenchy in 1995 and became creative director of Dior in 1997, a position he held until 2011. He later took over at Maison Margiela, where he remained creative director until 2024. For Galliano, the cancellation marks another chapter in a career that has never quite escaped the shadow of his 2011 scandal.
“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,” Galliano said in a statement. Galliano was once one of the biggest names in fashion. Galliano was filmed making antisemitic comments at a Paris restaurant, including expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler. The incident came alongside another racist outburst and triggered widespread condemnation. The controversy wasn’t only about Galliano’s past. It was also about the decision to honour him at one of fashion’s biggest events. His work remains hugely influential in fashion, but the question of whether his creative legacy can be separated from his past continues to follow him.