— By Andru Shively — 

Against the backdrop of all that is happening around the world, the annual fashion-focused Met Gala can appear to the average-citizen observer as the ultimate expression of tone-deafness on the part of the celebrity class. Donning costumes reminiscent of the District 1 elites from The Hunger Games, each paid USD 100,000 (around EUR 85,000) to take part in this year’s pageantry of late-stage capitalism that featured billionaire-class representatives Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos as lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs.

Nevertheless, some attendees did attempt to remind us of our human origins in the face of technology and, if we may offer additional perspective, our era’s wastefulness – be it plastics, fast fashion, or how about our attention spans, given the context?

Singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe, for example, presented an outfit featuring layers of electronics mixed in with live moss and succulents, accompanied by a message “whispered from the future – remember what made you human”.

Asking us to stay grounded, Monáe might also be giving the idea of “circular fashion” a literal new twist. At a time when the European Union is evaluating a revision to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, policymakers might at last have a blueprint.

But let’s not kid ourselves: the Met Gala is no place for any down-to-earth debate, let alone our humanity. As for the dress, chic as it may be, what becomes of its parts once the show lights are unplugged?