Who is Mona Patel? Meet the Met Gala Guest Who Turned Heads

The Met Gala included several standout looks this year, but Mona Patel was one person who had everyone talking.

As soon as she appeared on the red carpet, the entrepreneur created a buzz on social networks about her magnificent butterfly dress by Iris Van Herpen.

Interpreting the Costume Institute exhibit theme “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” and the “Garden of Time” dress code, Patel donned a fitted dress with a gorgeous scalloped train that looked like something straight out of a wooded garden.

The biggest eye-catcher were the 3D kinetic butterflies that ran up her arms like opera gloves, which opened and closed throughout the night thanks to a motor built into her dress.

So, who is the best-dressed “mystery” guest that has everyone talking? Learn more about Mona Patel below.

It was her first Met Gala

Talk about getting big! The 2024 Met Gala actually marked Patel’s debut at the fashion event. Even though it was her first participation in this prestigious gala, she is no stranger to the event’s organizer, Voguehaving already appeared in the magazine.

In November 2021, Vogue wrote an article about a dinner Patel hosted in New York for her nonprofit, Couture for Cause. According to the organization’s website, it “aims to spark positive change through fashion and inspire every woman to achieve their full potential.”

A year earlier, she had met editor-in-chief Anna Wintour herself at a screening of Emma. She shared her excitement about meeting Wintour online, writing: “My first interactions with the legendary #AnnaWintour at the EMMA screening last night will be a memorable moment of my life. Thank you @voguemagazine and the #vogue100 team for such an incredible evening❤”

She was styled by Law Roach

It’s no surprise that Patel’s look is so remarkable; In addition to styling several looks for Zendaya, who served as co-chair of the event, celebrity stylist Law Roach also worked with Patel on hers.

According to VogueRoach traveled to India to make Patel’s custom Iris Van Herpen dress, including visiting a factory in Mumbai to speak with members of the designer’s team and driving across the city to select jewelry for the look.

The moving butterflies on his set were his idea

Patel was very involved in creating her Met Gala look. Actually, Vogue India reports that the fluttering butterflies that caught people’s attention were actually his idea! The publication notes that the addition to her look “was an accent she made in collaboration with her friend, kinetic movement artist Casey Curran, who began working on this piece months in advance, ne ending it only the day before her red carpet debut at Patel’s. arm.”

“I wanted my first look to be something that celebrated my heritage and also combined my love for couture, and when I heard about the theme, Iris Van Herpen seemed like the obvious choice,” Patel said. Vogue India before the Met Gala in March.

She is an Indian entrepreneur

Patel was born in Vadodara, Gujarat, before moving to the United States at a young age to pursue higher education at Rutgers University, according to Vogue India. She eventually settled in the United States in 2003 while building her entrepreneurial career and currently resides in Florida, according to Forbes.

In addition to founding her nonprofit, Couture for Cause, she also founded the health tech startup radXai and the community group Haute Mindset, according to her Instagram. In 2021, she featured in Forbes“The Next 1000 list for achievements.

She has impressive qualifications

Aside from his impressive career, Patel also has a strong academic background. On her Instagram, she describes herself as an alumna of Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and MIT Sloan School of Management.