The Met Gala is the fashion event of the year—the place to see and be seen by the biggest celebrities in Hollywood. Walking that red carpet is as good an indicator as any that a person qualifies as a celebrity. While the world usually has its eyes peeled to see what the biggest names like Rihanna, Zendaya, and Kylie Jenner will wear to walk the red carpet, it’s worth paying special attention to those making their Met Gala debuts, the statements they’re looking to make, and the stories their looks tell to everyone watching.
This year, a number of people are walking the carpet for the first time on the first Monday in May. Here are the most noteworthy individuals making their Met Gala debuts, from Tyla to Ayo Edibiri.
Tyla
The South African Afrobeats singer burst into the mainstream with the release of her wildly popular song “Water” in July 2023. The song went on to take home the inaugural golden gramophone for Best African Music Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
On the carpet tonight, she stunned in a strapless, skin-tight gown designed by Balmain. The dress looks to have been molded to her body and she says the inspiration was “the sands of time.”
Maleah Joi Moon
Maleah Joi Moon is currently starring in Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway, the semi-autobiographical Alicia Keys jukebox musical. The show is tied with Stereophonic for most Tony nominations this year, nabbing 13 nods. She walked the Met Gala carpet wearing a bright floral Collina Strada gown.
Cole Escola
Alt-cabaret star Cole Escola’s off-Broadway show, Oh Mary!, a dark comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln, has been one of the best-reviewed plays of the Broadway season, racking up raves and earning a transfer to Broadway this summer. They walked the carpet for the first time wearing Thom Browne, accented with a fresh bouquet of flowers in a dog-shaped wicker basket.
Ayo Edebiri
Ayo Edebiri swept awards season earlier this year, taking home an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and two SAG Awards for her work in the hit Hulu show The Bear. Along the way, she became a red carpet darling, never missing with a look. She walked the carpet for her Met Gala debut wearing a perfectly-themed Loewe dress with cascading florals.
Rauw Alejandro
Rauw Alejandro is one of the biggest Latin artists in the world and known to be a fashion lover. The 31-year-old reggaeton artist, who seems like he was born for the Met Gala red carpet, took his futuristic aesthetic to the Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a custom Ludovic de Saint Sernin creation, which seems to be a take on a knight’s armor.