The world watches the Met Gala for the celebrities and the couture. But, for the last few years, one Indian brand from Kerala has quietly been creating the carpet that fashion's biggest stars pose on.
IMAGE: Sivan Santhosh and Nimisha Srinivas, the owners of Neytt by Extrweave. All photographs: Kind courtesy Neytt by Extraweave
From Cherthala, a small village in Kerala, to the steps of the Met in New York City, Sivan Santhosh and Nimisha Srinivas are taking Indian craftsmanship global, one carpet at a time.
When the world tunes into the Met Gala every year, all eyes are usually on the celebrities climbing the iconic steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in couture looks. But there is another star has quietly become a part of the spectacle -- the carpet itself.
Behind those globally photographed Met Gala carpets for the last four years is Neytt by Extraweave, the luxury rug brand founded by husband-wife duo Sivan Santhosh and Nimisha Srinivas.
In a chat with Rediff's Rishika Shah, Sivan opened up about building a global luxury brand from Kerala, the intense process behind creating the Met Gala carpets, working as a couple and why representing Indian craftsmanship on one of fashion's biggest stages still feels surreal.
Before the Met Gala came calling...
Sivan and Nimisha's journey began long before the Met Gala came calling. Family friends who eventually got married, the duo initially planned to settle in the US before life took an unexpected turn.
"We were in Boston together and had plans to work there for a few years before returning to India," Sivan shares. "But after Trump came into power in 2017, our visa didn't get approved despite the fact that we had jobs there. We had to come back."
That unexpected turn became the beginning of Neytt.
Sivan, who belonged to a 109-year-old export-oriented family business, knew he wanted to create something different for the Indian market.
"When we researched the rug industry, we realised rug-making was never associated with south India. We wanted to change that narrative," he says.
The duo focused on storytelling, sustainability, and natural fibres, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern luxury design.
"We wanted to tell stories from south India through our carpets and experiment with natural materials in ways people hadn't explored before."
How the Met Gala found Neytt
IMAGE: The BTS production of the carpets.
Their Met Gala opportunity came through Fibreworks, a Kentucky-based company that had been working with Sivan's family business, Extraweave, for over 15 years.
"We've done several prestigious projects with them, including work connected to the White House," Sivan says. "Through them, we got the reference for the Met Gala for Neytt."
Surprisingly, the duo did not know initially that the project was for one of fashion's biggest nights.
"Only after several rounds of prototyping and approvals did we realise it was for the Met Gala," he says.
And when they finally found out?
"We were ecstatic, nervous, excited... we felt almost every emotion at once."
What goes into the making a Met Gala carpet
Creating a Met Gala carpet is far more complex than it appears on social media.
This year, Neytt produced 57 rolls, each measuring 4 x 30 metres, covering a staggering 6,840 square metres in total.
Close to 400 to 500 people worked on the carpet, while the manufacturing process alone took nearly 80 to 90 days.
"Every stage has strict quality checks. We focus on consistency, the fineness of the fibre, the tightness of the weave... every small detail matters," Sivan explains.
"There are strict confidentiality rules. No phones, nothing. Only a very limited group of people are involved."
When fashion becomes art
For this year's Met Gala theme, Fashion Is Art, the brief was intentionally open-minded.
It invited designers and attendees to interpret fashion as a living, moving artwork, blurring the lines between couture, sculpture and performance.
Making the carpet better every year
IMAGE: Anne Hathaway pauses for pictures on the Met Gala 2026 carpet. Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters
"This year, a lot more effort went into the detailing and hand-painting. The moss-like garden effect came out beautifully," he shares.
Though the material base has remained largely similar over the years, Sivan says the carpets constantly evolve.
"Every year we improve the raw material quality, the consistency and the fibre fineness. There's a lot of material innovation happening continuously."
The biggest challenge? Maintaining perfection every single year.
"The first year was definitely the toughest because we were figuring everything out. But now we understand the process much better."
Building a luxury brand together
Working together as husband and wife has also come with its own learning curve.
According to Sivan, both bring completely different strengths to the company.
"I'm more practical and analytical while Nimisha is more design-focused and a people person," he shares. "We complement each other."
But separating work from personal life is not always easy.
"We end up talking about work even at home," he says. "And now with two kids and the constant travel, it gets hectic sometimes as we take them with us as well."
Still, he believes working together also helps them understand each other's pressures better.
"At least both of us know exactly what the other person is dealing with."
The pressure that never really goes away
"There's always pressure because we never know how people will react," Sivan admits. "Even small changes to the carpet can completely change the final look."
But seeing the final result makes it all worthwhile.
"When we see celebrities walking on it and see how proud our employees feel, that makes us happy every single time."
One compliment he especially remembers came from Deepika Padukone.
"She had commented about the carpet last year and that felt really special."
What happens to the carpet after the Met Gala
Interestingly, the carpet's journey does not end once the celebrities leave the famous Met steps.
Since the Met Gala is a charity fundraiser, parts of the carpet are auctioned off while the remaining sections are repurposed for use in other gala spaces and installations.
According to Sivan, many people don't even realise they are walking on a piece of Met Gala history.
Putting Kerala on the global luxury map
For Sivan and Nimisha, the Met Gala has become more than just a global project; it has also become proof that Indian craftsmanship can stand proudly on the world stage.
"It feels amazing representing India like this," Sivan says. "If a small brand from a village in Kerala can reach a global stage like the Met Gala, then anything is possible."
And while he remained tight-lipped about future collaborations, and the cost, he hinted that Neytt has several "iconic projects" lined up this year.
As for whether we'll see another Neytt carpet at the Met Gala next year?
"Hopefully," Sivan says. "Let's hope for the best."