Did you know? – The stunning Carpet of Met Gala 2023 was made in Kerala
The Met Gala 2023 has turned many heads, not only for its outfits and extravagant accessories but also for its striped white carpet which is manufactured by Neytt by Extraweave, a weaving company based in Kerala’s Alappuzha.
What most people don’t know is that the carpet has a fascinating story behind it, rooted in the weaving traditions of the Indian state of Kerala.
The light shade carpet came through a long-time customer of Neytt by Extraweave in the US, Fibreworks. Little did the artisans know that the carpet they were creating was for the prestigious Met Gala – fashion’s biggest night. It was only later they revealed to them that it was for the Met Gala. The design was created by the Met Gala team, and Neytt by Extraweave made a proper canvas for them to do all the paintings.
According to Sivan Santosh, the Executive Director of Neytt by Extraweave, hails from a family associated with the carpet industry for 100 years, it’s the quality and experience in the domain that paved the way to the Met Gala.
The carpet was made with Sisal fibre taken from the bark of Agave cactus from Madagascar. The entire processing was done in-house. It took 70 days and 40 workers to manufacture the carpet. Once the fibre was received, it was spun into a yarn of the quality required and then woven into fine quality using mechanized weaving.
The Met Gala team provided all the quality directions and suggested that other color paintings would look really good on the white-colored carpet.
It was the first time when the Met Gala chose a lighter shade compared to previous years. The challenging Task for the makers was to match the perfect shade. It required 58 rolls and was roughly around 7000 square meters. Neytt by Extraweave had to ensure all 58 rolls looked exactly the same.
The team at Neytt by Extraweave in Alappuzha is swelled with pride  that their weaving story has become the talk of a high toned global event. From a small weaving company in Kerala to the Fashion Capital of the World, their contribution has certainly added grace to the floors of Met Gala 2023.
