Each year, the Met Gala transforms the iconic steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art into fashion’s most influential red carpet. Part fundraising event, part cultural moment, the gala also serves as a powerful marketing play for the world’s biggest fashion houses. Always held on the first Monday of May, this year’s edition was no exception. The 2025 Costume Institute exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” explored the power of tailoring in Black fashion and identity, drawing inspiration from the text Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. With the dress code “Tailored for You,” attendees interpreted dandyism, suiting and sartorial resistance through custom couture and historical references.
But for brands, these red carpet appearances are more than cultural cachet, they’re major investments. Between production costs, ambassador deals and custom design work, dressing a celebrity for the Met Gala comes at a high cost. The question is: what’s the return?
That’s where Launchmetrics’ Media Impact Value® (MIV®) and Voice Echo come in. MIV calculates the monetary value of every brand mention across online, social and print, factoring in not just reach, but engagement, placement quality and source credibility. Voice Echo expands on that by showing how far the impact of celebrity partnerships really travels, examining the conversations they ignite across media and among other Voices.
And the returns are growing. In just the first 48 hours after the event, the 2025 Met Gala generated $1.3B in MIV—up 19% from 2024—making it one of the most impactful fashion moments of the year. In this blog, we dive into the five top-performing brands and the key celebrity moments that drove their success.
1. Louis Vuitton – $55.2M in MIV
Louis Vuitton generated more value than any other brand at this year’s Gala, thanks to their strategic lineup including Lisa, Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter and Doechii, all wearing custom looks by the creative director Pharrell Williams.
Lisa, global pop icon and BLACKPINK member, made her Met Gala debut in a lace bodysuit featuring embroidered portraits by artist Henry Taylor. But the conversation didn’t stop at her outfit. Online speculation, incorrectly suggesting that the piece featured Rosa Parks, ignited debate across social media and traditional press. The controversy, while corrected later on, kept Lisa at the center of attention and made her the top-performing celebrity of the night with $21.3M in MIV.
So, how was all this buzz generated? To uncover the source of the impact, we used our Voice Echo framework. Here’s what we found: of the total MIV from this partnership, Lisa drove 6% through her own social channels—what we define as direct impact. The French luxury brand generated 16% via its owned platforms. But the majority—an impressive 78%—came from Indirect Echo: media, influencers, partners and even fellow celebrities who amplified the red carpet moment across their own networks. This aligns closely with industry benchmarks: as revealed in our recent Brand Ambassador Marketing Report, an average of 77% of the MIV from official ambassadorships comes from Indirect Echo. It’s a powerful reminder of how celebrities uniquely drive virality—amplifying brand moments in ways few other Voices can match.
Following Lisa’s Met Gala debut came Zendaya, arguably one of the most anticipated red carpet names of the night. Dressed in a custom white Louis Vuitton look, the actress wore a single-breasted blazer, waistcoat and flared trousers, a clear nod to the zoot suits that once defined Black style in mid-20th-century America. The look paid homage to Black women performers such as Grace Jones and Gladys Bentley, who wore suits as acts of defiance and artistic identity. That history was brought to life by Law Roach, Zendaya’s longtime stylist and creative collaborator which resulted in a major red carpet moment that honored legacy while reaffirming Zendaya’s place as one of fashion’s most culturally fluent figures, pulling $14.3M in MIV.
What’s particularly interesting, through the lens of Voice Echo, is that while this was undeniably one of the night’s standout moments, Zendaya herself contributed no direct impact—she didn’t post on her own channels. This isn’t uncommon in celebrity collaborations, nor is it a sign of a weaker partnership. In fact, despite her silence, Zendaya ignited viral conversations that drove 77% of the total MIV via Indirect Echo, aligning with the industry benchmark we noted earlier. The key takeaway? When working with low-posting talent, brands must be strategic—crafting culturally resonant, high-impact moments and pairing them with a robust press and amplification plan to maximize reach.
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2. Valentino – $36.5M in MIV
If any creative director was going to approach Superfine: Tailoring Black Style with drama and depth, it was Valentino’s Alessandro Michele. He styled eight guests for the night, including two custom looks for brand ambassador Colman Domingo, each offering a distinct, expressive take on the theme.
Colman Domingo, Oscar-nominated actor, Met Gala co-chair and longtime Valentino collaborator, wore one of the night’s most talked-about looks. Styled by Wayman + Micah, his two-part look designed by Alessandro Michele began with a jewel-embroidered blue robe, later revealing a suit complete with boutonnière and cravat. Sharing the carpet with co-chairs like Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton and Anna Wintour, Domingo’s look felt like a natural extension of the creative dialogue he’s built with the brand over the past year.. Having worn Valentino throughout the 2025 awards season (including at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards) this appearance deepened his ongoing relationship with the house, bringing in $6.5M in MIV.
From a long-standing collaborator to a newly appointed face, Valentino also made headlines with Freen Sarocha. Her appearance was historic as she became the first Thai actress to attend the Met Gala. She wore a tailored cream jacket with fur trim layered over a mesh undershirt, paired with a flowing skirt and lace stockings. Freen’s invitation wasn’t a one-off. She was announced as Valentino’s first female Thai ambassador just months before the Gala, following a buzzy front-row appearance at Paris Fashion Week. Her presence on the Met steps sparked widespread engagement across Southeast Asian media and fan communities and global fashion outlets quickly followed suit. The result: $19.5M in MIV, making her not only one of the top performers for Valentino but one of the most valuable celebrities of the night overall. 87% of Freen’s MIV came from Indirect Echo, a strong signal that while her name may still be growing globally, the resonance she created within local communities translated into powerful value. For emerging ambassadors in new markets, this level of indirect traction is exactly what brands should be tracking.
3. Chanel – $31.5M in MIV
In the weeks leading up to the Met Gala, online fashion fans buzzed with speculation: Was Chanel finally leaning into menswear? After all, the recently appointed creative director, surprise castings and brand ambassadors like Kendrick Lamar had already started to blur the lines. But when it came to impact, it was two of Chanel’s high-impact stars—Jennie and Lupita Nyong’o—who delivered the biggest results, generating a combined $21.4M in MIV.
Jennie, BLACKPINK member and Chanel ambassador since 2018, returned to the Met Gala for the third year in a row, this time wearing one of the house’s most complex designs to date. The look, a custom black leather and satin tuxedo jumpsuit, which took 330 hours to create, reinterpreted classic Chanel codes through an edgier lens. With her recent Ruby album release and Coachella appearance, Jennie was already in the spotlight; her presence on the carpet only amplified that momentum. Jennie brought in $17.6M in MIV, driven by her global fanbase and coverage across fashion media.
Chanel’s second top-performing talent of the night was Lupita Nyong’o. In her first Met Gala appearance as a Chanel ambassador (she was appointed in October 2024) she wore an aquamarine wool suit with a chiffon cape, a theme-aligned tribute to Little Richard and the legacy of Black dandyism, driving $3.8M in MIV. What’s worth noting: Chanel’s two top-performing faces of the night weren’t just celebrities in a look; they’re both official brand ambassadors. Jennie and Lupita’s results highlight how long-term talent investments, when matched with narrative and relevance, can generate consistent impact.
4. Marc Jacobs – $24M in MIV
Marc Jacobs brought bold energy to the carpet, with a small but highly impactful cast. With one of the night’s most anticipated entrances and a few unexpected twists, Jacobs landed the brand a total of $24M in MIV.
The biggest contributor to this outstanding buzz was Rihanna. Arriving last, in a custom pinstriped bustier and a tailored skirt with a tied jacket bustle, her appearance quickly became one of the night’s most talked about moments, thanks in part to the pregnancy reveal that followed. Coming off a quiet fashion season, her return to the Met felt like a reset and a reminder of her unique ability to merge brand, persona and timing into a singular pop culture moment. Like Zendaya, she didn’t post about the Gala herself, yet she still drove $13.5M in MIV with a staggering 93% coming from Indirect Echo, proving that relevance doesn’t always depend on a talent’s own platform. With celebrities like Rihanna, the value often comes from the conversations they spark, which makes it all the more critical for brands to measure the impact happening beyond the feed.
Teyana Taylor followed with a look rooted in personal history. Co-designed with Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, her zoot suit-inspired ensemble featured a dramatic burgundy cape embroidered with “Harlem Rose”, a nod to Taylor’s 2018 song and a tribute to Harlem Renaissance style. It was a strong reminder that when a brand taps into the personal story behind the talent, not just the theme, the result feels authentic, not performative. That kind of alignment resonates deeply, and in Taylor’s case, it translated into $4.6M in MIV.
5. Thom Browne – $21.5M in MIV
Thom Browne is known for turning tailoring into something far from traditional, and the 2025 Met Gala gave him plenty of room to do just that. With a theme so rooted in formality and historical reference, Browne leaned into his signature approach: deconstructed silhouettes, theatrical details and surreal twists. Dressing celebrities such as Janelle Monáe, Demi Moore, Zoe Saldaña, Walton Goggins and more, the brand pulled in $21.5M in MIV.
Janelle Monáe delivered her signature fusion of fashion and identity to the Met carpet in a custom Thom Browne look co-designed with Paul Tazewell. The outfit featured graphic red, black and white stripes with a pop art-inspired structure: bold and unmistakably Monáe. The alignment between artist and brand felt seamless; both are known for reshaping fashion into a form of personal expression. When the fit between talent and creative direction is this strong, the impact follows. Monáe generated $4.6M in MIV for the brand, with 20% coming directly from her own posts. An impressive 62% stemmed from the ripple effect her red carpet moment sparked—driving widespread coverage across fashion, art and culture media, as well as extensive social media conversations.
Next came Demi Moore, wearing a Thom Browne gown made to resemble a full-body necktie: a surreal, high-concept take on the theme. She paired it with one of the brand’s Hector dog bags, while her real dog, Pilaf, wore a matching tie in a behind-the-scenes Instagram post that quickly went viral. Coming off a major award season, Moore’s appearance extended her already existing momentum into fashion. And it proved something key: in today’s media, moments outside the carpet, like a playful, perfectly branded Instagram post, can drive just as much impact. The result: $3.5M in MIV for the brand.
Conclusion
The 2025 Met Gala was a clear display of how thoughtful brand strategy, the right partnerships and cultural timing can turn visibility into measurable value. Whether through long-term ambassadorships like Jennie and Lupita’s with Chanel, or by tapping into personal narratives like Teyana Taylor’s with Marc Jacobs, the most valuable moments were the ones that resonated far beyond the carpet. As this year’s data confirms, Indirect Echo isn’t just a byproduct, it’s often the main driver of MIV. The brands that plan for it, track it and build for it are the ones unlocking real return.
To see how your brand can make smarter, more impactful decisions when it comes to talent partnerships, download our Brand Ambassador Marketing Report and explore how a solid ambassador strategy can drive consistent visibility and measurable ROI beyond a single appearance.
By Luna Weissman
