At the 2026 Met Gala, some big names in tech — including honorary co-chair and lead sponsor Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg — skipped the red carpet walk. Those who did walk the steps, though, did so not wearing looks by the big fashion houses we’ve come to expect, but by mainly independent designers.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri wore Kartik Research, while VP of fashion Eva Chen wore Rachel Scott’s Proenza Schouler; both Stewart Butterfield (Slack CEO) and Selby Drummond (formerly of Snap and Bumble, now founder of tech venture firm Plum Alley) wore Conner Ives; and Charles Porch, who recently joined OpenAI as VP of global creative partnerships after a long tenure at Instagram, wore Kallmeyer’s first-ever men’s look.

These execs can afford to have any fashion brand in the world dress them. So why go for a smaller, indie designer on fashion’s biggest night of the year?

Attendees know that, once they set foot on the Met steps, their outfits will be analyzed and picked apart not just by the media, but by the millions of people who tune into the Met year after year. Opting for an emerging name signals a level of investment in fashion’s rising stars, rather than its established houses. And this year’s Met Gala arrived at a moment when tech moguls and CEOs are keen to emphasize the importance of taste, as AI tech becomes more and more accessible and user-friendly. Where better to show that you’re on the inside than on the steps of the Met Gala, surrounded by some of the most important people in fashion, while wearing an emerging brand that they have given their stamp of approval?

It’s where the big tech money really should be going, says designer Daniella Kallmeyer. “If the people with the most money, access and power aren’t supporting the arts and emerging brands and independent designers, then they’re just lifting up those who are already on top.”

Of course, many of the tech execs dressed in independent brands already have proven taste in fashion. Both Chen and Drummond come from the magazine world (Chen was editor-in-chief of Condé Nast-owned Lucky magazine, while Drummond was a longtime Vogue editor) and Porch has always straddled tech and culture in his roles at Instagram and now OpenAI. Mosseri, for his part, is no stranger to independent designers, and has worn brands including Tanner Fletcher, Wales Bonner and Bode for Met Galas past. (Zuckerberg, for what it’s worth, went with Prada after making his fashion week debut at the brand’s show earlier this year.)

More simply, it’s a way for tech people to achieve a look that’s one-of-a-kind on a night when all the biggest houses are preoccupied with custom looks for the highest-profile of celebrities. “It’s no knock on the bigger brands,” Porch says of his choice to go custom for the 2026 Met, after buying off the rack Celine, Tom Ford and Prada in years past. “I’ve loved every look I’ve worn. But they’re dressing Nicole Kidman.”

This was Kallmeyer’s first time designing for the Met, but she has done custom looks for other moments in the past. For this Met Gala, she fielded multiple requests, but felt aligned with Porch, she says. She gets why those working in tech — and innovation — want looks tailored to them. “Technology is all about innovation. So why go and have what is massively consumed?” she asks. “This is also about independent brands and the ability to have something custom and basically couture fit to you.”

Kartik Research (who doesn’t comment on looks for private clients) was connected to Mosseri by Chen, a regular on the fashion week circuit. From there, the brand worked with Mosseri’s team at Instagram to style and source everything for the custom look. Mosseri wore Manolo Blahnik shoes with the suit (also coordinated with the help of Kartik’s team).

This was Porch’s first year wearing a custom look. “I’ve known Daniella socially for a long time, and got to know her through my time at Instagram,” he says. “There are cool, gay designers I want to support, so we formed a relationship through that.” When Porch spotted Morgan Spector in a Kallmeyer jacket at the brand’s last show, he asked Daniella about menswear. Spector’s jacket, it turns out, was women’s off the rack, but Porch wanted Kallmeyer for his Met Gala look. “I DM’ed her and asked if she’d be open to it, with Morgan Spector still in my mind,” he says.

Tech founders and execs are also often drawn to the entrepreneurial spirit imbued in young brands. “The tech people like and appreciate that a lot of them are startups and they’re entrepreneurs,” says Porch, who straddles both worlds. “So I think people really plug into that on the tech side, that they’re building something — which tech people do too.” (That building a tech giant is a far cry from a fashion label is no matter to them.)

Will tech execs be the route to more independent brands showing up on the Met carpet? “I definitely have the bug now,” Porch says.

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