Designer John Galliano to get unvarnished Met retrospective in May

Decision to stage solo exhibition comes 15 years after conviction over racist and antisemitic remarks The controversial designer John Galliano is to get an unvarnished retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York next May. Galliano, who is widely considered to be one of the most influential designers of the past four decades, was exiled from the industry in 2011 after he was filmed making a series of racist and antisemitic comments. He was fired from his position as creative director of Dior, a post he had held for 15 years, condemned by the media and later convicted and fined by a French court. At the time it was questioned whether the British designer would ever be able to redeem himself in the fashion industry. The decision by the Met to spotlight Galliano with his own fashion blockbuster, which will be only the third time it has given a living designer a solo exhibition, suggests that perhaps, he has reached the pinnacle of his rehabilitation. The exhibition will be kicked off by the annual Met Gala red carpet extravaganza, making it one of the biggest events on the fashion calendar. “The fashion business has a short memory,” said Dana Thomas,