Hyderabad-based billionaire Sudha Reddy made heads turn on the 2026 Met Gala red carpet, with “Costume Art” as this year’s theme. The Indian business mogul and philanthropist pulled out all the stops with her starry attendance at fashion’s biggest night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 4 (US time).
Reddy, who has earned regular status at the Met Gala in recent years, once again made it a point to not only flaunt and steal headlines with her high-fashion approach but also wear her Indian pride on her sleeve. All decked out in a custom outfit created over 3,459 hours by more than 90 artisans, the Manish Malhotra design shone the spotlight on Indian textile traditions.
Who is Sudha Reddy?
Given the Indian billionaire active participation in prestigious events like the Met Gala and Cannes Film Festival, the distinguished businesswoman and philanthropist has consolidated her identity among global influencers.
Behind the cameras, she serves as the Director of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), a multi-billion-dollar, multi-sector infrastructure company based in Hyderabad that is making giant strides globally. The business conglomerate was founded in 1989 by her husband, PV Krishna Reddy, whom she married at the young age of 19.
Aligning with her impactful stance in the industry, her self-titled non-profit, SR Foundation, has collaborated with UNICEF, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the Global Peace Foundation, earning Reddy the 2022 Champions of Change Award. Honing her expertise, Reddy also plays an influential role in championing education and healthcare initiatives as a Board member for Mechanical Engineering at Andhra University and as NRI General Hospital’s Chairperson.
Although now a pioneer in the corporate world, which wasn’t as inviting to women at the time, Sudha Reddy’s humble roots trace back to Vuyyuru in Andhra Pradesh. After completing her primary schooling there, she eventually graduated in microbiology, an interest tied to her family’s simple agricultural background.
Having ambitiously bridged the gap between middle-class beginnings and leading a business empire, Sudha has earned many honours over the years, including the Young Indian Women Achievers Under 45 Award in 2021 and the Woman Pioneer of the Year Award in 2023 by AsiaOne Magazine.
Sudha Reddy’s ‘masterful tribute to India’s creative soul’ at Met Gala 2026
Symbolising growth and connection, the “Tree of Life” motif defined her outfit of the day, ultimately going viral online. The look heavily relied on the traditional Machilipatnam style of Kalamkari art form from South India, which is especially known for its hand-painted details and use of natural dyes.
More than putting her fashionable foot forward, Sudha prioritised taking pride in her Hyderabadi “foundation,” as she confessed, “This ensemble is a translation of that cultural identity into a language that is both global and deeply personal.” Presenting Indian craftsmanship as a “living, breathing art form,” Reddy affirmed that it was crucial for her to demonstrate that “these ancient techniques possess the structural integrity and aesthetic power to lead the global fashion dialogue.”
Reddy wholeheartedly confessed that her “singular” brief to her team was to “take the richness of South Indian textile to an international stage,” as New York’s Met Gala presented itself as the opportune starting point.
Making her homeland the talking point of the conversation on the global stage, she added, “The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Telangana recently emphasised that South Indian crafts and textiles deserve sustained global visibility, even envisioning their presence at platforms like London and Paris Fashion Week.”
Sudha Reddy’s pleasantly surprising commitment to the storytelling of her culture and hometown became the centrepiece of her 2026 Met Gala appearance. Accentuating that look further, she paired the lavish outfit with a necklace valued at more than $15 million. In line with her deliberate fashion choices, the necklace, which came from Reddy’s personal collection, also served its role as a historically relevant treasure.
Celebrity stylist Mariel Haenn told PEOPLE that the piece features a Victorian-finished chain of large triangular and pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds set in floral clusters. At its centre is the “Queen of Merelani,” a 550-carat deep violet-blue tanzanite pendant tracing its origins to Tanzania’s Merelani Hills. The art and fashion connoisseur also wore a 40-carat Asscher-cut Colombian emerald with a diamond halo in 18k yellow gold, along with a 30-carat rose-cut polki diamond ring.