American designer Tommy Hilfiger created the most initial media buzz at the 2024 Met Gala’s red carpet, according to data analytics firms, challenging the usual dominance of European luxury powerhouses—from Versace to Balenciaga to Chanel—in previous years.
Zendaya in a peacock-colored custom Margiela gown, gracing the Met Gala red carpet.
Tommy Hilfiger: The all-American designer’s collaboration with the K-pop group Stray Kids led the brand to notch over 40,000 online mentions in the past 15 hours, followed by Alaïa—which dressed another K-pop star, Jennie Kim—according to social data analytics firm Brandwatch.
Burberry: The British fashion house came in next on the conversation charts, dressing supermodel and Gala veteran Naomi Campbell in a turquoise gown—which made the lead image on Vogue’s live coverage—and actress Jodie Turner-Smith in a dress adorned with 150,000 faux pearls.
Loewe: The Spanish brand, sponsoring the gala and hosting the after-party, was the fourth-most mentioned: it dressed 17 prominent guests, including Anna Wintour, “Past Lives” star Greta Lee and Ariana Grande—whose arrival caused the biggest peak in online mentions, according to Brandwatch.
Maison Margiela: Led by John Galliano, the French fashion house was the fifth-most mentioned brand, according to Brandwatch, thanks to host Zendaya—who wore a peacock-colored dress with a hummingbird shoulder ornament—and her fellow co-chair Bad Bunny.
Balmain: As Grammy-winning artist Tyla arrived in its gown crafted from sand and crystal studs, Balmain placed sixth on the conversation charts, yet at the expense of the South African rising star’s minor inconvenience, as she had to be carried up the stairs by attendants as the bespoke dress restricted her mobility.
Thom Browne: The New York-based designer garnered the highest media value—a monetary metric of media exposure—on Instagram among its luxury peers in the last 12 hours, according to marketing firm Lefty, with Gigi Hadid gracing the steps in a gown adorned with 2.8 million beads and Rebecca Ferguson wearing an ensemble it took 8,500 of work to make.
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In 2023, Chanel generated the highest in media impact value—a monetary value of media exposure—worth $111 million, with the theme honoring its late creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, according to data analytics firm Launchmetrics. The French couture giant also took up 71% of all designer mentions on the red carpet, per Brandwatch. Highlights included the vintage ballgown donned by Dua Lipa and Nicole Kidman revisiting her 2004 No.5 campaign dress, all designed by Lagerfeld. In 2022, Versace topped the chart with $31.2 million in media impact value, according to Launchmetrics, with Gala co-chair Blake Lively’s Statue of Liberty-inspired dress alone bringing in $13.7 million. Versace also reigned in 2019, dressing eight celebrities, including Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Jennifer Lopez and Lupita Nyong’o. The Capri-owned Italian fashion house garnered $53.6 million in media impact, per Launchmetrics, with its pre-event “how it’s made” videos—detailing the creative process behind each garment worn on the carpet—also boosting social media buzz.
Dubbed the Oscars of the East Coast, the Met Gala is a stage where even the top designers can be overshadowed by numerous luxury powerhouses. Multiple factors may drive a brand’s fortune here, one of them being celebrity endorsements. In 2022, Versace captured 44% of total designer mentions within the Met Gala social media chatter, thanks in part to Cardi B and Olivia Rodrigo. Both were exceptionally influential at the time—Rodrigo, fresh from her Grammy wins, and Cardi B newly named as creative director at Playboy. The design’s originality and extravagance also critically influence a brand’s acclaim. In 2019, Gucci garnered the second-highest media impact value at $39.1 million, following Versace, propelled by Jared Leto’s unforgettable accessory—a replica of his own head. Zac Posen also cracked the top 10 in media impact value that year ($12.8 million), thanks to its unique 3D-printed dress worn by Jourdan Dunn.
“The red carpet holds immense significance for luxury brands as it offers a pivotal platform for showcasing their products to a global audience,” Marilisa Barbieri, a New York-based luxury expert and founder of Luxury-Infused Consulting Inc., told Forbes. Having A-lister celebrities wear the designer’s creations at high-profile events like the Met Gala “amplifies the brand’s visibility, generating buzz,” she added.
The Met Gala often transcends mere media buzz, leading to actual business growth—as exemplified by Balenciaga after the 2021 Met Gala. The Kering-owned brand received a significant boost by styling high-profile stars such as Rihanna—who wore a billowing black coat—and Kim Kardashian, who appeared in a head-to-toe, all-black, face-covering custom ensemble. Both striking looks catalyzed “countless memes and social media posts,” leading to a whopping 505% spike in searches for the brand, following the event. After dominating the carpet, Balenciaga leaped from sixth in the second quarter to the top spot in the third and fourth quarters on the Lyst Index—a quarterly ranking of the top 20 most popular fashion brands. At the end of the year, Balenciaga became the third-biggest brand within its parent group, Kering, after Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.
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