Designer John Galliano has pulled the plug on a major exhibition celebrating his work at the Met’s Costume Institute, throwing the theme of Anna Wintour’s star-studded 2027 Met Gala into chaos, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
He said that he recognizes that an exhibition featuring his designs would “be painful” to some, 15 years after he imploded his career with drunken, highly antisemitic remarks.
“After much reflection and discussion with The Met and all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” the designer said in a Monday, August 31, Instagram post.
“John Galliano: Horizons” was scheduled to be the theme of the spring 2027 exhibit that coincides with the Met Gala, marking only the third time ever that a living designer would be honored with such an event.
Galliano served as Dior’s creative director from 1997 to 2011, putting out some of the fashion house’s iconic designs.
However, his career took a turn when he was caught on video in a Paris bar exclaiming, “I love Hitler. People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers would all be f—— gassed,” during a drunken confrontation with a Jewish patron.
“I also recognize and respect that an exhibition honoring my work would be painful for some,” he continued
“I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry for it. I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition, or a single public gesture. It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning, and one’s conduct over time,” Galliano added.
The former Givenchy designer has since called what he said “a disgusting thing, foul thing” and “just horrific” after seeking treatment for an addiction to sleeping pills, Valium, and alcohol.
“John’s decision that the exhibition devoted to his work should not take place at this time is very courageous and a measure of the man he is. I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support,” Wintour said after his announcement.
After seeking treatment, Galliano revived his career, working as Maison Margiela’s creative director from 2014 through 2024.
His career also saw a revival when Kim Kardashian embraced his designs.
“Happy Birthday to the most brilliant human being. Celebrating you always,” Kardashian wrote in a 2024 tribute, showing off her ten favorite looks in Galliano designs, including her 2024 Met Gala ensemble.
Costume Institute curator-in-charge Andrew Bolton previously gushed about Galliano’s creative process while unveiling plans for the exhibition.
“Every Galliano collection begins as a journey among things separated by time, place, or medium: portrait and posture, silhouette and story, memory and material,” Bolton said in a release when the theme of the gala was announced. “‘Horizons’ approaches fashion as a form of cartography, mapping not territories but affinities, tensions, and transformations. It traces how images become ideas, ideas become material, and material becomes emotion.”