More than two months after opposing a planned exhibition honoring British fashion designer John Galliano over his history of antisemitic and racist remarks, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin praised the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Thursday for choosing a different theme for its 2027 fashion exhibition.
“I am pleased that the Metropolitan Museum has chosen an inclusive new theme that celebrates the artistry and creativity of the fashion industry,” Menin, the council’s first Jewish speaker, told JNS on Thursday. “The original plan to honor John Galliano, after his horrific record of antisemitism and hate, was a divisive choice and antithetical to the values of our city.”
The museum announced Thursday that its Costume Institute will present “extraORDINARY: Fashion and the Poetics of the Everyday,” an exhibition exploring the creative potential of ordinary clothing and everyday materials.
“From jeans, T-shirts and puffer coats to paper, plastic and metal, the exhibition will reveal how the seemingly unremarkable can inspire delight, surprise and wonder,” the museum stated. The exhibition will also examine how clothing acquires meaning through use and care.
The Met canceled “John Galliano: Horizons” on Aug. 31 following widespread criticism. Menin had held multiple meetings with museum leaders to oppose the planned tribute.
In an Aug. 28 letter to the museum’s leadership, Menin called the decision a “serious mistake,” citing Galliano’s “long public record of antisemitism, racism and anti-Asian bigotry.” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, also criticized the planned exhibition as “misguided.”
Galliano, who served as creative director of Christian Dior, was fired by the fashion house in 2011 after videos surfaced showing him making antisemitic and racist remarks at a Paris bar. In one recording, he declared, “I love Hitler,” and told patrons that their ancestors would have been gassed during the Holocaust. In another incident, he insulted a woman’s “ugly Jewish face” and directed an anti-Asian slur at a man accompanying her.
A French court convicted Galliano in September 2011 of making public insults based on religion, race or ethnicity. He received a suspended fine of 6,000 euros (about $8,400 at the time) and no prison sentence.
Galliano later apologized for his remarks, attributing his behavior to struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction. He said in a statement following the exhibition’s cancellation that he remained accountable for the pain he had caused, particularly to Jewish and Asian communities.
Menin, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, called the Met’s decision to cancel the original exhibition “the correct decision” in August, saying the harm and pain it had caused were unacceptable.
The new exhibition will be unveiled in conjunction with the 2027 Met Gala, scheduled for May 3.
