John Galliano Pulls Out of 2027 Met Exhibition Amid Growing Backlash

British fashion editor Anna Wintour intends to celebrate designer John Galliano at the 2027 Met Gala, but things not go straight and the Costume Institute exhibition has fallen apart after the designer announced his withdrawal amid increasing criticism.

The designer mentioned, “After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that the exhibition shouldn’t take place at this time”. He more added, “I do not want the debate surrounding me to place the Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute. I also recognise and respect that an exhibition of my work would be painful for some”.

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The criticism get flamed in 2011 when Galliano’s sentence in France for making antisemitic and anti-Asian comments in the course of a rant at a Paris bar, for which he was fined about $8,500.

Amid the controversy, earlier this summer, Wintour defended her choice to recognize Galliano, telling Vogue: “There is no one more deserving of an exhibition of this scale than John Galliano. His body of work, at Dior, Givenchy, Margiela, his namesake label and more, combines erudition and creativity, darkness and light, the past, the present, the future all smashing together brilliantly.”

At the time, she stressed that the exhibition would acknowledge Galliano’s controversial past.  “The exhibition won’t shy away from any of the darkness in John’s past. It’s part of what has shaped him. The show will take in the full arc of his career and grapple with all of it.” Andrew Bolton, curator at the Costume Institute, echoed the sentiment, saying the exhibition would address Galliano’s complex past said “Galliano’s conduct, its consequences, and changing cultural values.”

However, the backlash intensified over the following weeks, eventually resulting in Galliano’s withdrawal.

Wintour addressed Galliano’s withdrawal choice by parsing him as recognize it as courageous move, and said it was “the right decision” which maintained that Galliano had her “full support” and admired him as one of the prominent and central artistic figures of his generation.

The Galliano controversy marks a rare public setback for Wintour and could pose an early leadership test for Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, Chloe Malle.