If you tuned in to the 2026 Met Gala, you might have noticed Isha Ambani’s opulent sculpture-like look on the red carpet. The 34-year-old businesswoman and philanthropist is best known for being part of Reliance Industries’ Ambani family, one of India’s most influential business dynasties. In addition to leading the retail arm of her family’s business, she is known for advocating for women in the workplace and, in recent years, a budding fashion icon in her own right.
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Born to businessman Mukesh and Nita Ambani in 1991 alongside her twin brother, Akash, she spent her early years in Mumbai and completed her early education at Dhirubhai Ambani International School. She later earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University, majoring in psychology and South Asian studies, followed by a master’s degree in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. After a stint as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company, she returned to India and the family business in 2014.
In her early years back in India, Ambani played a significant role in developing Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecommunications arm of the family business, expanding digital connectivity throughout the country. She also became part of the executive leadership teams at several Reliance Industries subsidiaries, including its Reliance Retail, her alma mater, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, and Reliance Foundation, a non-profit organisation led by her mother, Nita. She also launched Ajio, an online fashion brand that has since grown to become one of the largest fashion e-commerce players in India.
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Ambani furthered her involvement in the fashion business in 2022, after she became CEO of Reliance Retail. Under her leadership, the company partnered with international brands like Burberry, Versace and Armani, bringing them to the Indian market. It was also during this time that she gave birth to her twin children, Aadiya and Krishna, following her marriage to Anand Piramal, scion of the Piramal Group. In an interview with Vogue India, Ambani spoke about conceiving her children through IVF, expressing a desire to normalise it. “Nobody should feel isolated or ashamed. It’s a difficult process,” she said.
In addition to her business ventures in fashion, many also look to Ambani’s own fashion moments at the Ambani family’s functions and public appearances for inspiration. Her appearance at the 2026 Met Gala marked her sixth time attending the event, and her fifth repping a South Asian designer on the red carpet. Her early looks include a pale lilac gown and Lagerfeld-inspired black sari by Nepalese American designer Prabal Gurung in 2019 and 2023. Her more recent looks in 2024 and 2025, designed by Rahul Mishra and Anamika Khanna respectively leaned even further into South Asian craftsmanship, incorporating traditional embroidery styles from different Indian regions.
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This year, Ambani served up her most extravagant Met Gala look yet, created by Indian couture designer Gaurav Gupta. She wore a custom sari woven with pure gold threads, with over 200 mine-cut diamonds from her mother Nita’s personal collection embroidered into the bodice. The borders of the sari were hand-painted with motifs taken from ancient Indian frescos and further enhanced with hand embroidery, employing traditional West and South Asian techniques like zardozi and aari work. She completed the look with a jasmine hair sculpture made of paper flowers, a nod to the garlands traditionally worn by women in many South Asian cultures, and a mango sculpture by Indian artist Subodh Gupta, carried in a crochet bag in place of a purse.
Over the years, Ambani has flourished in both her work and personal lives, spearheading significant growth in the companies under her charge while embracing life as a mother. In the public eye, she has also sharpened her sense of personal style and intentionally embraced South Asian fashion and craftsmanship in international spaces, making her one to watch both in the business world and on the red carpet.