Hyderabad-based billionaire Sudha Reddy made a striking appearance at the Met Gala 2026 as she paid homage to her roots with her Kalamkari-inspired ensemble. She stunned in a custom Manish Malhotra ensemble created in collaboration with Jennifer Lopez’s stylist, Mariel Haenn.
Sudha Reddy at Met Gala 2026
Reddy, who is also a philanthropist, wore an ensemble titled ‘Tree of Life’, serving as a bridge between heritage, craftsmanship and contemporary fashion.
She also wore jewelry, reportedly a $15 million necklace that features a 550-carat deep blue-violet tanzanite and large pink-cut diamonds. She also wore diamond rings to elevate the look.
Meet Sudha Reddy
So, who is Sudha Reddy?
Sudha Reddy is an Indian businesswoman, philanthropist and wife of PV Krishna Reddy.
She serves as Group Director of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) and Chairperson of Sudha Reddy Foundation.
She has supported a wide range of causes through her foundation.
She is also a member of the International Council of UNICEF
On the global stage, Reddy is seen as a cultural ambassador for Hyderabad and India, representing the country at the world’s most important platforms, including Cannes, the Global Gift Gala, the Paris Olympics and the United Nations General Assembly.
She is seen attending global events such as the Met Gala, Paris Olympics, Global Gift Gala and Paris Haute Couture Week. She previously hosted exclusive events for luxury brands such as Schiaparelli and Tiffany & Co. in Hyderabad.
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Sudha Reddy decodes her look
Speaking about her gala look, Sudha Reddy wrote on Instagram: “Hyderabad is not just my origin; it’s a language, a rhythm, a way of being. Through this look, I sought to translate this sensibility into a form that could exist effortlessly on the global stage while remaining deeply rooted in the South Indian imagination.”
She went on to explain her ensemble in keeping with the theme of the night – ‘Fashion is Art’: “The Tree of Life, conceived by Manish Malhotra in collaboration with Mariel Haenn, becomes a central metaphor for the unfolding of time, memory and continuity. Drawing from the storytelling traditions of Kalamkari, it is reinterpreted here as something where each fragment is sculpturally alive and a living thread.”
Through the clothing, “a 3,000-year-old textile tradition is recontextualized through form, texture and movement: carved velvet, antique gold zari and intricate zardozi combine to create something both archival and immediate,” reads the official press release.
“What moves me most is the human touch behind it all. Thousands of hours, countless hands, generations of knowledge woven, embroidered and shaped into a single moment. Costume art for me can be this: not just an ornament, but a living archive. A way to carry heritage forward not as something fixed, but as something that is constantly growing, transforming and speaking,” concluded Reddy.
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Apart from her, Isha Ambani, Ananya Birla, Natasha Poonawalla and Mona Patel also attended the NYC event. Manish Malhotra and Karan Johar of Bollywood rocked the red carpet in their striking and imaginative ensembles.
