Ace couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee is taking his signature Indian craftsmanship to one of the world's most prestigious cultural institutions. The designer has just announced a multi-year collaboration
with The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), with the partnership set to begin with an exclusive high jewellery collection launching in September 2026 during New York Fashion Week.
Sabyasachi X The Met presents jewellery journey through 5,000 years
Sabyasachi's collaboration will explore the vast collection of The Met, drawing inspiration from 5,000 years of art and history preserved at the New York museum. Rather than simply recreating historical pieces, the designer plans to reinterpret elements of the past through a contemporary design language.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, Sabyasachi described the collaboration as an exploration of how culture moves across borders and continues to evolve.
“The Met | Sabyasachi collaboration is an exploration of how culture travels, evolves, and endures, drawing from 5,000 years of history preserved within the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City,” he stated.
He further explained that art, ornament, and craftsmanship have travelled between cultures for centuries through trade and cultural exchange, influencing ideas of beauty and identity along the way.
According to the designer, the resulting jewellery will transform those shared histories into pieces designed to feel like “modern heirlooms rooted in the past, crafted for today.”
Sabyasachi also revealed in a video that the first collection will look at the cultural exchange of the Byzantine Empire, translating historical influences into contemporary high jewellery.
The collection will be entirely handcrafted in India by artisans, bringing traditional craftsmanship into a collaboration with one of the world's most recognised museums.
The September launch during New York Fashion Week will therefore mark the beginning of what is planned as a multi-year creative partnership, rather than a one-off collection.
Sabyasachi's long association with The Met
The new collaboration also adds another chapter to Sabyasachi's relationship with The Met. In 2024, he became the first Indian designer to walk the Met Gala red carpet, accompanying Alia Bhatt for the Garden of Time theme.
For the occasion, Alia donned a mint-green couture saree with an extraordinary 23-foot train. The ensemble reportedly took 1,905 hours to create and involved 163 artisans, with silk floss embroidery, semi-precious stones, emeralds, pearls, and sapphires incorporated into the design.
Sabyasachi's work returned to the Met Gala spotlight in 2025 when Shah Rukh Khan made his debut at the event for the Superfine: Tailoring Black Style theme in a custom creation by the designer.
SRK's look featured a floor-length elongated coat crafted from Tasmanian superfine wool, a crepe de chine silk shirt, and a pleated satin kamarbandh. The dramatic styling was completed with an 18k gold Bengal Tiger Head Cane and layered talisman-inspired jewellery.
With his latest collaboration, Sabyasachi is moving beyond the Met Gala red carpet and directly into a creative partnership with the museum, bringing India's artisan traditions to a new global audience.
