Three Met Galas on a trot, red carpet from Neytt of Kerala is epic

While the world's celebrities made a splash at the recently concluded Met Gala, Kerala too had its moment of glory as the biggest names in fashion and films walked the blue carpet at the prestigious event in New York. The exquisite floral carpet was manufactured in Cherthala by Neytt by Extraweave, owned by Sivan Santosh and Nimisha Srinivas. This was not the first time the husband-wife duo's product was making a splash at the event. The firm had also supplied the rugs for the Met Gala in 2022 and 2023.

This year, the firm, which is the parent company of Neytt Homes from Kerala, went ahead and manufactured 57 rolls of carpet, totalling upto 6, 840 sq feet. Sivan, who is the CEO of Neytt by Extraweave, shared the news on his Instagram feed: No big deal -- just our rug at The Met again! We are incredibly proud to have provided the Met Gala carpet for the third time. A truly special moment for our country. Huge thanks to our phenomenal team -- the real heroes behind the scenes -- who brought it all to life," he wrote.

The 'phenomenal team' comprised 480 people who wove the carpet in 90 days. And that does not end there. The firm has been using Sisal fibre, Sisal fibre (taken from the Agave cactus), which is mostly found in East Africa and Central America, to make the carpet. Once completed, the carpet was sent to the United States where it was reportedly designed by a team led by artist Cy Gavin. 

This extraordinary feat was made possible through one of their clients in the US named 'Fibre Works', who had recommended their names to the Met Gala organisers. The firm, which is now four-years-old, has a huge history, as Sivan's father and grandfather have been in the carpeting business for years. His father Santhosh had founded Extraweave over two decades ago, while his grandfather K Velayudhan set up the Travancore Mats and Matting Company in 1917.