The 2026 Met Gala officially took place on the 5th of May, and the theme “Fashion Is Art” invited almost all celebrities to showcase their most avant-garde outfits, it’s the K-pop stars who truly showcased on the red carpet like a gallery opening. Co-chaired by Venus Williams, Beyoncé, and Nicole Kidman, this year’s Costume Institute exhibition is one for the books for sure. And so are these looks.

The K-pop stars aren’t just attending fashion’s biggest night, they’re becoming the art itself.

The looks you need to see right now:

Lisa

Custom Robert Wun
An all-white iridescent gown studded with jewels, a matching veil, and the showstopper: custom sculptural arms moulded from her own body snaking dramatically from the back of the dress. Pure, breathtaking theatre.

Rosé

Custom Saint Laurent
A high-slit strapless LBD elevated by a stunning sequinned bird-shaped appliqué. Rosé proves once again that Saint Laurent and a little drama go hand in hand.

EJAE (Met debut)

Sculptural Couture
Christening her very first Met Gala with a lacquered sculptural dress beaded in gemstones, finished with a diamante-encrusted updo. The K-pop Demon Hunter star arrived like a weapon.

All 10 K-pop stars at the 2026 Met Gala

This year marks one of the largest K-pop presences in Met Gala history. Here’s the full lineup of idols turning the Metropolitan Museum’s steps into their own personal runway.

Jennie- BLACKPINK

Hoyeon- Actress / Model

Audrey Nuna – Soloist

Lisa – BLACKPINK

Rosé – BLACKPINK

EJAE – Soloist

Karina – aespa

Jisoo – BLACKPINK

Ningning – aespa

Ahn Hyo Seop – Actor

Why this matters: K-pop’s Met Gala takeover is complete

What began as occasional cameos has become a full-scale cultural moment. Four BLACKPINK members; Jennie, Rosé, Lisa, and Jisoo; all on one carpet is the kind of convergence that the internet will not recover from for weeks. Add aespa’s Karina and Ningning, plus solo powerhouses Hoyeon, Audrey Nuna, and EJAE, and you have the most K-pop-heavy Met Gala in history.

The theme “Fashion Is Art” could not be more tailor-made for an industry that treats every album rollout, stage outfit, and music video frame as a deliberate aesthetic statement. K-pop stars don’t just wear fashion; they curate visual identities. Tonight, that training is on full display at the most prestigious fashion event on earth.

BLACKPINK did not just attend the Met Gala. BLACKPINK IS the Met Gala.

Meanwhile, Ahn Hyo Seop marks a growing trend of K-drama actors crossing over into global fashion spaces; evidence that the Korean entertainment industry’s influence has moved far beyond music. The 2026 Met Gala carpet is, in many ways, a portrait of Hallyu’s complete cultural dominance.