When Anok Yai heard the Met Gala 2026 theme, her first thought was: I have to be a statue. The Sudanese-American model soon made a moodboard and messaged Pierpaolo Piccioli. Scratch that—she “begged” the recently installed Balenciaga creative director to collaborate and (spoiler!) he, of course, said yes. The two decided that the look would be a strong art piece (”obviously”, she says) in line with the “Fashion Is Art” theme, but more than that, they wanted, she says, to “send a message.” They landed on the Black Madonna.
The model wanted to “send a message” with her Met Gala look.
Photo: Vincent Perella
“In the climate that we’re living in right now, we need hope,” says Yai, speaking from the hair and make-up chair on Met Gala day. “I feel like being the Black Madonna in a Trump world is going to send that message.”
Still, Yai is apprehensive. “The Met is always stressful,” she says. “I’m excited, but the nerves are hitting me bad.” Perhaps the prosthetics are playing a part in this? Step two of the creative process, once Yai and Piccioli’s homage to the religious icon was locked, was the beauty. “When I go onto the red carpet, I don’t want to look like a human being,” says Yai, for whom hydration and facials are the key to Met night radiance. “I want to look like a walking statue—that’s why I decided on prosthetic hair.”
Anok Yai at the 2026 Met Gala.
Photo: Getty Images
