The 2026 Met Gala has been dubbed the 'Amazon Prime Gala' by critics, following a controversial event heavily sponsored by Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos. The gala, which raised $42 million for the Costume Institute, saw tickets priced at $100,000, up from $35,000 in 2022, reflecting a growing tech influence on the guest list.
Protests against the Bezos family's involvement were widespread, with the group Everyone Hates Elon projecting interviews with Amazon workers onto Bezos's Manhattan penthouse and distributing containers of fake urine to highlight poor working conditions. Former US Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson co-hosted a rival 'Ball Without Billionaires' and refused work to boycott the event.
The controversy was further fueled by the release of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2', whose plot features a tech baron attempting to buy a fashion magazine, echoing unsubstantiated rumors that Bezos wants to buy Vogue for his wife. The film's villain, a Silicon Valley oligarch, reflects a cultural backlash against tech's infiltration of fashion.
Anna Wintour defended the partnership, introducing Lauren Sánchez Bezos as a 'force for joy' and praising the couple's philanthropy. However, industry insiders remain divided, questioning whether fashion's relationship with tech barons will endure amid growing inequality and worker protests.
