The late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld will be the inspiration for the Met Gala 2023, according to an announcement by the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday.
Lagerfeld, who died in 2019 at the age of 85, was one of the most influential and prolific designers of the 20th and 21st centuries, helming the creative direction of Chanel, Fendi and his own namesake label.
The theme of the Met Gala 2023, which will coincide with the opening of a major exhibition on Lagerfeld’s work at the Costume Institute, will be “Karl Lagerfeld: The Impossible Collection.”
The exhibition will showcase more than 300 ensembles and accessories from Lagerfeld’s six-decade career, spanning his early years at Balmain and Chloé to his collaborations with celebrities and artists.
“Karl Lagerfeld was a visionary and a master of his craft,” said Andrew Bolton, the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, in a press release. “He transformed the way we understand fashion by melding haute couture with street style, art with commerce, and tradition with innovation.”
The Met Gala 2023, which is expected to draw a star-studded guest list of celebrities, models and fashion insiders, will be co-chaired by Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue and artistic director of Condé Nast; Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH; Virginie Viard, artistic director of Chanel; Silvia Venturini Fendi, creative director of Fendi; and Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino.
The event will take place on May 1, 2023, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.