News | Eileen Gu wore the ‘Airo’dress to the 2026 Met Gala, made in collaboration with A.A. Murakami

Created for the Met Gala’s 2026 theme, ‘Fashion Is Art’, Iris van Herpen collaborated with A.A. Murakami on ‘The Airo’ Dress for the celebrated Olympian Eileen Gu, echoing her airborne grace on the slopes.

The design is defined by a fusion of couture craftsmanship and advanced technology. Developed in collaboration with A.A. Murakami, 15,000 iridescent glass bubbles were hand-formed and individually bonded using UV light, while hidden microprocessors and pneumatic systems enable their controlled release into the air. Each bubble, filled with a precise mixture of helium and air, drifts upward to dissolve the boundary between garment and atmosphere, referencing the human body’s atomic composition of 99.9% empty space and creating a fluid, ever-transforming silhouette.