Tyla Wears a Sand Sculpture to the 2024 Met Gala

Tyla is trading water for sand at the 2024 Met Gala.

For her inaugural Met, the singer turned to Balmain to help her bring her fantastical look to life. Latching onto time as the operative word from the night’s Garden of Time dress code, the Balmain team fashioned Tyla a dress made of sand—a nod to the sands of time.

Olivier Rousteing, creative director of Balmain, was particularly intrigued by the idea of ephemerality for Tyla’s dress. “The inspiration behind this creation stemmed from a desire to redefine boundaries and transform a transient material into an everlasting masterpiece,” he tells Vogue. “The idea of sculpting a garment from something as ephemeral as sand ignited my imagination, and I could not be happier with the end result.”

“We were looking to do something creative, something completely different for my first Met Gala,” Tyla says. “So when Balmain showed me the idea and sketch, I just knew it was perfect. The idea was crazy, and I loved it. I’m excited and a little nervous, but I’m looking forward to having a fun night at The Met!”