A Wren Says

He had a sordid past. For how long, I’m not sure, but there were certainly Twitter posts and video evidence haunting John Galliano. Years back, the famed designer made anti-semitic and anti-Asian statements. He apologized, he went to rehab. And then in 2027, he would be honored with a Met Gala all about his work. Except now he won’t. The backlash grew, he stepped back, and the Met will go in a different direction.

For good reason, people questioned whether or not this was the man who should be honored. Especially at an event that would fall on Holocaust Remembrance Day. There are so many designers to choose from, so many possible themes. Why him?

The Met, and Galliano, had a public relationships problem on their hands. While Galliano has had a prolific carer, with beautiful runway exhibits that will be remembered for years to come, he is still a human. The choices he made in his private life color (tarnish) that legacy. And reasonably, from the outside looking in, an solo exhibit would appear to be The Met’s co-sign on his entire legacy, even the messy parts.

Maybe there will be a right time in the future to honor his work. Maybe that won’t happen in his lifetime. Or maybe it will be different.

Now that it’s back to the drawing board, the host committee will need to develop a new theme. I wonder what it will be.