It would perhaps be every girl's dream to make her first public appearance on a carpet like the Met Gala, styled by one of the most prolific names of our times. Entrepreneur and philanthropist Mona Patel is definitely living that dream. Apart from his star act Zendaya, also this year's co-host for the Met Gala, Law Roach worked his magic on Mona Patel, working to bring her vision to life.
Born in Vadodara, Gujarat, Patel moved to the US at a young age to pursue higher education at Rutgers University and finally settled there in 2003 to build her career as an entrepreneur, slowly building a million-dollar empire that spans multiple businesses. At the beating heart of it lies Patel’s brainchild, Couture For Cause, a non-profit that combines her love for fashion and her philanthropic pursuits together to support meaningful causes. Having raised sizeable funds and donations by auctioning one-of-a-kind couture (a majority portion that comes from her personal archive), the Forbes Next 1000 honouree fetched herself a ticket to fashion’s Superbowl, the Met Gala 2024, where she made her debut in custom Iris Van Herpen couture.
Patel’s body-hugging gown comes with an unexpected accent that was in fact devised by the entrepreneur herself. Part of her many talents includes recruiting a solid team that can execute her vision, and with a knack for multi-tasking within her business empire, flexing her creative muscles was a task Patel was more than willing to take on. At closer inspection of her dramatic red carpet regalia, you’ll find an array of kinetic flower petals encircling her arms, fluttering in slow motion—a sight to behold as the business mogul made her way up the Met steps. This addition to her couture look was an accent that Patel collaboratively realised with her friend, kinetic motion artist Casey Curran, who began working on this piece just a month ahead, only finishing it the day before its red carpet debut on Patel's arms.
