K-pop at Met Gala 2026: BLACKPINK, aespa to Make Major Appearances

• BLACKPINK will headline the Met Gala 2026, with Lisa being a member of the host committee, achieving a landmark success.
• aespa’s Karina and Ningning will also attend the event as representatives for Prada and Gucci, igniting controversy around the group’s eligibility to attend based on their global popularity.
• The growing presence of K-pop at the Met Gala 2026 showcases how the genre is turning their idols into valuable global luxury assets.

As the Met Gala 2026 is formally set to open its doors for the stars to grace the red carpet, industry chatters note the K-pop Met Gala 2026 figures who are set to reportedly attend the event. The theme of this year’s Met Gala is “Costume Art,” with the dress code being “Fashion Is Art.”

According to Koreaboo, BLACKPINK members are set to attend the event, alongside aespa, whose inclusion has triggered a sharp debate online. The list of Met Gala 2026 K-pop idols is headlined by a milestone appointment, which is Lisa’s Met Gala host committee role. Being the first K-pop artist to take part in such an activity, the Celine ambassador indicates how the Costume Institute sees global influence. Interestingly, the 2026 Met Gala theme will celebrate the Costume Institute's spring exhibition of the same name, which explores the relationship between fashion, the human body, and art.

BLACKPINK Met Gala 2026: Brands Represented by the Members

Apart from Lisa’s Met Gala host committee role, Koreaboo reports that other members like Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé will be representing Dior, Chanel, and YSL, respectively. Interestingly, Jisoo was seen departing for New York from Incheon airport on May 3, while Jennie and Rosé are also expected to join her soon. The BLACKPINK Met Gala appearances reinforce the members’ popularity and the dominance of the fact that K-pop fuels luxury branding. As top K-pop luxury brand ambassadors, the BLACKPINK members are set to formalize the genre’s uniqueness on the world’s most exclusive red carpet.

aespa Met Gala 2026 Controversy

Alongside BLACKPINK, two of the aespa members, Karina and Ningning, are also said to be joining the Met Gala this year. The two SM artists will be representing Prada and Gucci, respectively, on the night of the event. Despite being associated with such major luxury brands, the K-pop idols Karina and Ningning are facing backlash online because the group is not as popular as BLACKPINK in the US. The criticism is questioning their influence in the fashion industry and the event’s trajectory for inviting newer idols.

K-pop at Met Gala Controversy Set to End Soon?

Despite the negative reaction by some K-pop fans for Met Gala’s inclusion of aespa, it isn’t surprising to see that such high-profile collabs also lead to emerging artists like Karina and Ningning anchoring the future K-pop idols at fashion events. They are the potential blueprint of the changing industry patterns, where market data and aesthetic influence meet. As the Met Gala happens tonight, it remains to be seen if the controversy ends, and if the occasion is still an insular high-fashion retreat or has globalized itself to include various new trends.