A group of Kerala weavers craft Met Gala's carpet for the fourth time

The annual Met Gala carpet, which the entire world looks forward to, is not manufactured in New York, but in Kerala. 500 artisans work day and night for months to manufacture its base. The Met Gala carpet 2026 will be manufactured by Neytt Homes by Extraweave, who have done so before in 2022, 2023, and 2025.

Met Gala carpet: A 90-day journey from fibre to fashion stage

The Met Gala carpet begins with rough sisal fibres that are extracted from Madagascar because of their robustness and unique texture. These fibres are manually sorted out, spun into yarn, twisted into two-ply and sheared to smoothen the material. A large number of bobbins are then created and placed on the looms to make the carpet smooth. This time around, 500 craftsmen have worked day and night for 90 days to produce 57 rolls, each 4 meters wide and 30 meters long.

The founder Sivan Santhosh is from a lineage that has been dealing with carpets for more than 100 years. His company was started in 1917 by his grandfather who dealt with exporting niche rugs around the world, but the company got its name Extraweave by the founder's father. Now, it's this heritage that helps him make the Met Gala carpet strong.

The brief for 2026 was to provide an uninterrupted white base upon which the artist can paint on in accordance with the concept ‘Fashion is Art.’ As per Sivan, the concept does not influence the base material itself, although it has been improved. The fiber in this case is thinner and more processed in order to minimize the effects of abrasion. The weave is still tight enough so that the heel does not get stuck, and a softener has been included.

All stages of the production process for the Met Gala carpet have very high-quality control measures that must be followed. Any imperfection is easy to notice when installed throughout an entire wall. The carpet has been shipped to New York City in November 2025.

Sustainability continues to play an important role in the process. Some parts of the carpet are auctioned after their use, while others get reused. This year, there were no extra carpets that needed to be sent.

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