The Met Gala 2023: Faces backlash over ‘honouring’ fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld

The countdown to the first Monday in May is well and truly on with Hollywood stars in full glam-prep for the event on the 1st May. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour hosts the biggest night in fashion previously dubbed ‘the Super Bowl of fashion’ and this year's theme has already caused a lot of controversy. 

The Met Gala 2023 theme is ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’; the Metropolitan Museum's exhibition will feature around 150 pieces paired with Lagerfeld's original sketches. Guests are expected to arrive wearing their own interpretation of the theme. 

Karl Lagerfeld passed away in 2019, the fashion designer was best known for his role as creative director at French fashion house Chanel. But the theme has sparked controversy online due to alleged comments he made and accusations of sexual assault throughout his career. 

When the theme was first announced British actress Jameela Jamil - who has been vocal on her criticism of Karl for many years - shared her outrage in a lengthy social media post. She wrote “Karl Lagerfeld is the theme for the entire Met Gala next year. 

“This man... was indeed, supremely talented, but used his platform in such a distinctly hateful way, mostly towards women, so repeatedly and up until the last years of his life, showing no remorse, offering no atonement, no apology, no help to groups he attacked... there was no explanation for his cruel outbursts.”

She continued “Those groups were women who were sexually assaulted, the entire #MeToo movement, gay couples who wanted to adopt, all fat people, specifically fat women, and some of his greatest harm was against Muslim refugees, and the disgusting way he spoke about people fleeing their homes for fear of their lives.”

“Why is THIS who we celebrate when there are so many AMAZING designers out there who aren't bigoted white men? What happened to everyone's principles and "advocacy." You don't get to stand for justice in these areas, and then attend the celebration of someone who revealed his own public disdain for marginalised people.”

"Sorry, but no. This isn't the 90s. We didn't fight all this s**t just to throw it all away because some white guy made some pretty clothes for people's skinny faves... come on now.” 

It wasn’t only Jameela who was angered by this year's theme, critics took to social media to share their thoughts with ‘honouring’ the late fashion designer. One person wrote “As much as he contributed to the fashion industry, we should not be celebrating a person who made fatphobic, racist, and sexist comments throughout his career.”

In 2001 the German fashion designer famously lost 100 pounds in weight - he even released a diet book - because he wanted to be “a good clotheshorse.” His new skinnier frame led him to make some distasteful comments about other people's bodies. 

Speaking about global singing sensation Adele, he said “She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.” He later described German supermodel Heidi Klum as “simply too heavy. 

Despite all of this the fashion world will remember his legacy and he will be celebrated as an icon whilst blocking out the memory of any kind of controversy he was associated with.