The Met Gala theme “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” featured the year 2016. The exhibition examined the relationship between handmade and machine-made fashion, with its Latin title contrasting “manus,” meaning hand, and “machina,” meaning machine.
The show explored how technological change affects the creation of clothing. It included examples of traditional craft, industrial production, computerized design, and emerging fabrication methods. The subject was not simply whether handwork or machinery was superior; it considered how both approaches shape modern fashion and often work together.
The title is sometimes remembered as a general technology theme, but its specific focus was the tension and collaboration between hand and machine. The 2016 gala took place on May 2. Apple chief design officer Jony Ive, actor Idris Elba, singer Taylor Swift, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour were among the event’s co-chairs.