Meet Malayali couple behind iconic Met Gala 2025 blue carpet that Shah Rukh Khan, Shakira, Diljit Dosanjh glided on

Dubai: The Met Gala 2025 was not just a fashion event — it was a full-blown spectacle. Think Diljit Dosanjh dripping in jewels like a walking treasure chest, SRK causing a frenzy when Western journalists didn’t recognise Bollywood royalty on the carpet, and Blackpink shutting it down in their now-viral no-pants look. Blingtastic? Check. Dramatic? Always. Meme-worthy? You bet.

But beneath all that glitter and chaos, the night also signaled a quiet revolution: the iconic red carpet was swapped for a regal blue beauty — crafted, no less, in Kerala, South India.

Meet Sivam Santhosh, the founder and CEO of Neytt, and wife Nimisha Srinivas who led the mammoth task of crafting the carpet that would become one of the most photographed surfaces in pop culture history.

Gulf News tracked him down on the phone in Kerala after the fashion showcase, and Sivam was still euphoric from having put India on the global map.

“It took 90 days, and 500 people worked on it,” he said, still soaking in the applause. “Because it’s a wall-to-wall carpet, even the tiniest impurities are very visible. So we make sure everything is perfect — nobody trips and falls, nothing of that sort.”

The base of the carpet was crafted using natural, undyed fibre in Kerala and was white when it left Indian shores. The magic touch came later.

“We actually made the base carpet in white,” Santhosh explained. “Then, after we sent it to New York, there were artists who hand-painted it to get the final look and feel.”

And while this may have been his biggest global spotlight yet, this isn’t Santhosh’s first time working with the elite.

“We also once supplied the carpet for a special concert at the White House, when a head of state visited,” he said matter-of-factly.

Still, the Met Gala is a different kind of beast. Fashion’s biggest night is as much about style as it is about statements — and this year, the carpet itself made one.

“They moved away from the traditional red carpet to a more sustainable, natural fibre carpet that is completely biodegradable,” he said. “That was one of the main reasons we were chosen.”

What makes his journey even more remarkable is its grounding in tradition — with a twist. “Neytt, the brand, was founded by me and my wife Nimisha,” he said. “My father started Extra Weave in 2000. And my great-grandfather began the family business in 1970. I’m the fourth generation — born into this — but I’m finding my own way. I’m catering to a very high fashion, bespoke, sustainable audience.”

The resume reads like a luxury travel itinerary: Taj hotels, Six Senses resorts, Rajasthan’s grand palaces, and now, the Met steps. And while the world may see glamour, Santhosh knows the grit behind it.

“Pressure is always high,” he admitted. “But when you have skilled workers and people to support you, and you believe in the process — you can breeze through anything.”

From Alappuzha to Manhattan , Sivam Santhosh has proven that design excellence doesn’t need a Madison Avenue address. Sometimes, it’s woven in Kerala and hand-painted in Manhattan — then immortalised under the heels of Rihanna, Shah Rukh Khan, and Shakira.