The 2026 Met Gala shimmered with magic as Eileen Gu appeared in a gown crafted by Iris van Herpen in collaboration with Studio A.A. Murakami, the artistic partnership of Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves. The ensemble features 15,000 hand-crafted iridescent glass spheres, each meticulously secured using specialized UV lamps. Constructing this masterpiece took a staggering 2,550 hours of work. Perhaps most impressively, the frame includes an integrated pressurized system that periodically releases actual soap bubbles as she moves.
This unique partnership allowed Iris van Herpen to focus on the architectural structure of the 15,000 glass spheres, while Studio A.A. Murakami engineered the specialized mechanisms required for the dress to emit real bubbles.
Eileen Feng Gu is an American-born Chinese freestyle skier, a three-time Olympic champion, and a two-time 2021 world champion. While this is not her first time on the Met Gala red carpet, it is undoubtedly her most enchanting appearance to date.
