dailyloe.com – Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu made a striking entrance at the 2026 Met Gala, themed “Costume Art.” The 22-year-old model wore a remarkable bubble dress by Iris van Herpen, a designer known for combining high fashion with innovative technology. Gu’s dress featured 15,000 glass bubbles, taking 2,550 hours to create.
In a statement to ESPNW, Gu highlighted the dress’s unique design, stating, “There’s technology under the dress that enables reality to kind of come together with art.” She remarked that it represents surrealism, movement, nature, fun, and whimsy. Her outfit was completed with see-through heels and minimal accessories, allowing the dress to be the focal point.
When questioned by ESPNW about the relationship between sports and art, Gu explained, “It’s about self-expression. It’s about breaking boundaries and about being the truest version of yourself.” Gu made her Met Gala debut in 2021, impressing in a black-and-white Carolina Herrera bubble dress.
In 2022, she showcased an edgier look in a strapless leather Louis Vuitton mini dress. Gu has made history as the most decorated free skier, winning six medals across the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics. Despite her success, she has faced criticism for representing China, her mother’s native country, while having grown up in Northern California.
This year, Gu reported experiencing serious incidents, including being “physically assaulted” and receiving death threats while on campus at Stanford University. Besides her athletic accomplishments, Gu has a successful modeling career, signing with IMG and appearing in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
Her portfolio includes collaborations with major brands such as Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret, and Fendi, along with covers in the Chinese editions of Cosmopolitan and Vogue.
