Anna Wintour became chair of the Met Gala in 1995 and helped turn it into a global celebrity event. Wintour, the longtime editor-in-chief of Vogue, brought the benefit closer to the fashion and entertainment industries and made its guest list and red carpet central to its identity.
Under Wintour’s leadership, the event became more closely associated with the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition. High-profile co-chairs, carefully selected themes, and elaborate fashion appearances helped the gala attract worldwide media attention while continuing to raise money for the museum’s fashion department.
Wintour is sometimes described as the founder of the Met Gala because of her enormous influence over its modern form. However, Eleanor Lambert established the original Costume Institute Benefit in 1948. Wintour instead reshaped and expanded an existing institution.
The museum named its Costume Center after Wintour in 2014, recognizing her support for the department and its exhibitions.