Imaan Hammam, the young super model, typically shines as bright as the sun. But at the 2024 Met Gala, Hammam became the sun. Not literally. But kind of.
"Each of the models attending [with Swarovski] represents a different element [from nature], and mine was the sun," Hammam tells Highsnobiety. "So we went for a golden sunshine using satin and a mix of gold crystals."
The flashy mix was the debut of Swarovski couture, an act of tangible handcraft that dates back to the house's founding year of 1895, when Daniel Swarovski shaped his first wearable glass beads.
Highsnobiety
Highsnobiety
But it's also an homage to Hammam herself, who sought to reflect her Egyptian roots with a look that affects the grace of Ra.
The ensuing red carpet-ready outfit, which was painstakingly handcrafted over the course of two months from over 133,450 crystals, is a testament to both wearer and artisan.
Highsnobiety
Highsnobiety
"We even had my first fitting in Morocco while I was there celebrating Ramadan," Hammam enthused. "[Swarovski creative director] Giovanna and I have such a great relationship so the collaboration on this look felt seamless and right."
Swarovski dressed a handful of all-star talent for the evening, including supermodel Irina Shayk and the ethereal Anok Yai.
Highsnobiety
“My vision was for our muses to embody elements of nature found in the enchanted crystalline garden and for their gowns to merge with our jewelry — they metamorphose, becoming one," Giovanna Engelbert said in a press release.
Though Hammam has been a Met Gala regular for a few years now, she's just as ebullient about the evet as she was when she first attended.
The Met Gala is everything, she says, "A celebration of fashion, inspiring, stressful, iconic, phenomenal, historic, and representative."
