Date posted on DIARY directory: Monday 11th May 2026
Influencer marketing platform Lefty has released insights from the Met Gala 2026.
This study is based on the analysis of influencers on Instagram who posted content tagging participating brands during Met Gala 2026. The influencers presented in this study were identified by Lefty's proprietary algorithms, which identify and attribute content to a brand based on @ mentions. This study only analyses Instagram in-feed posts (posts, videos, carousels) and does not look at Instagram stories.
Lefty defines Earned Media Value (EMV) as the equivalent ad spend of the impressions gained. The EMV is calculated by estimating the number of impressions of each publication and associating a CPM of $100, equivalent to $1 per engagement.
This season highlighted several key trends:
- Met Gala 2026 delivered $250M in EMV across 236 profiles tracked, with an average engagement rate of 9.79%, maintaining the momentum of its 2025 predecessor.
- Robert Wun dominated the event, dressing eight different stars, with LISA's custom sculptural look driving $31M in brand EMV - the highest of any house this year.
- The convergence of tech and fashion was a defining story, with Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos as sponsors and tech figures including Sergey Brin, Adam Mosseri, and representatives from Meta and OpenAI in attendance - earning the event the nickname "Tech Gala."
- All four BLACKPINK members walked the carpet together for the first time in the event's history, while Aespa's Karina and Ningning made their Met Gala debuts, underscoring the continued rise of Asian talent in Western fashion media.
- Athletes emerged as a significant presence, with Naomi Osaka, Alysa Liu, Lindsey Vonn, and Eileen Gu bringing authentic narratives that traditional influencers can't replicate.
- A new generation of fashion commentators - including creators such as Bernard Garby, Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn), and Yagmur Tok (@selloutartist_) - proved their influence, with audiences actively seeking informed opinion and behind-the-scenes access over surface-level coverage.
This season, Lefty teamed up with Karla Otto to dive into the data and offer insights into the most successful and unexpected strategies, while revealing key names to know to resonate in new markets and with younger audiences.
The Top Celebrities of Met Gala 2026
| Username | Brand | EMV | Eng. Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa @lalalalisa_m |
Robert Wun | $19.7M | 1.7% |
| Kylie Jenner @kyliejenner |
Schiaparelli | $15.2M | 0.5% |
| Jisoo @sooyaaa__ |
Dior | $13.7M | 2.8% |
| Georgina Rodriguez @georginagio |
Ludovic de Saint Sernin | $12.2M | 3% |
| Sabrina Carpenter @sabrinacarpenter |
Dior | $10.5M | 4.8% |
| Hailey Bieber @haileybieber |
Saint Laurent | $10.3M | 2.1% |
| Ananya Birla @ananyabirla |
Robert Wun | $10.2M | 8.3% |
| Karina @katarinabluu |
Prada | $9.8M | 2.1% |
| Kendall Jenner @kendalljenner |
Gap by Zac Posen | $8.9M | 0.9% |
| Kim Kardashian @kimkardashian |
Allen Jones and Whitaker Malem | $8.3M | 1.6% |
The Top Fashion Brands of Met Gala 2026
| Brand | EMV | Eng. Rate | Posts Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Wun | $31M | 6.5% | 159 |
| Dior | $26.4M | 4.1% | 86 |
| Saint Laurent | $25.9M | 2.7% | 121 |
| Prada | $15.5M | 2.8% | 76 |
| Schiaparelli | $15.3M | 1.1% | 15 |
| Ludovic de Saint Sernin | $13.4M | 5% | 32 |
| Gap by Zac Posen | $9.3M | 0.7% | 16 |
| Allen Jones and Whitaker Malem | $8.3M | 1.6% | 14 |
| Marc Jacobs | $7.4M | 3.4% | 24 |
| Tom Ford | $7.3M | 1.2% | 26 |
For the full article, visit Lefty's website.