Ananya Birla’s Met Gala 2026 look goes viral as she wears mask made of ‘bartans’; Netizens say ‘Katori, chamach, karchi’s debut…’

Ananya Birla grabbed attention at the Met Gala 2026 by turning everyday kitchen utensils into a bold high-fashion statement with her metallic mask look. While some praised the artistic concept, several netizens joked online, asking people to “check their kitchens”.

Ananya Birla, director of the Aditya Birla Group, made her debut at the Met Gala 2026 on Monday evening in a striking couture look that beautifully blended fashion and art. For the event, Ananya wore a custom-designed outfit by Robert Wun, paired with a sculptural mask created by artist Subodh Gupta. Her outfit featured a structured black jacket with a dramatic peplum and a voluminous pleated skirt, creating a bold and sculpted silhouette. The most striking part of the look was the metallic face mask made from stainless steel. The mask completely covered her face, giving the outfit a mysterious yet powerful appearance. The concept behind the design was to transform everyday kitchen steel utensils into a bold artistic statement, symbolising both hidden identity and inner strength.

Ananya Birla Turns Kitchen Utensils Into High Fashion at the Met Gala 2026

Her sculpture-as-mask is a stainless steel and acrylic piece of armour made with traditional Indian silverware – an haute couture creation inspired wherein the ordinary is extraordinary given the right creative perspective. Fashion critic Diet Sabya took to his social media to share the look and called it ‘Bartan-Core’. He wrote in the caption, “Miss ma’am’s first MET done right! Raid your kitchens cause BARTAN-CORE is officially a thing. Reclaiming steel before the whites try to take it from us, but also let’s clock the lineage. Giving core memory. Giving dining table politics turned couture. Ananya Birla makes her MET debut in a custom Robert Wun voluminous sculptural ballgown and jacket set. She has enough stainless steel bowls in her custom @subodhguptastudio sculpture mask to serve the theme to everyone at home. The confidence to flaunt this mask at this stage — major! Styled by: @rheakapoor and shot by the iconic and possibly the most in-demand fashion photographer in the world, @rafaelpavarotti_”

Also Read: Met Gala 2026: 10 Indian celebrities who ruled the red carpet; From Karan Johar and Isha Ambani to Ananya Birla

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Also Read: Met Gala 2026: Manish Malhotra celebrates artisans with their 3D sculptures, names on his outfit, and layers a measuring tape

Reactions on Ananya Birla’s Met Gala look

Netizens were quick to react to Ananya Birla’s Met Gala look. A user in the comment section said, “Animal movie song playing in background- Khade Vich Dang Khadke song.” Another user said, “Turning traditional Indian silverware into a bold piece of armour”. The third user said, “Check your kitchen to make sure your utensils haven’t been stolen.”

This one is funny, a user said, “Who would have thought katoris and chamachs would make debut at the Met Gala?”

The outfit also reworked elements of everyday workwear, turning simple ideas into a high-fashion statement. The styling focused on clean lines and strong shapes, allowing the mask and structure of the outfit to stand out. She completed the look with jewellery from Mehta & Sons, along with a personal necklace. The overall styling was led by Rhea Kapoor, with makeup and hair kept minimal to match the tone of the outfit.