Marcello Hernández Pays Homage to His Cuban & Dominican Roots at Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala is officially here, and this year’s theme is “Costume Art,” with a dress code embodying the notion that “Fashion is Art.” Saturday Night Live star Marcello Hernández made his Met Gala debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s famous fundraiser in a tailored black Thom Browne suit, complete with artful textured detailing. But the most personal element of his look wasn’t the tailoring—it was the brooch pinned to his jacket, a special gift from his mom.  

“My mom made me this with Sammy Euler en la calle ocho in Miami,” said Hernández, who is from Miami. “I have mi angel de la guardia (my guardian angel), un azabache, a stone for protection, and larimar, which is a Dominican stone.” All three symbols are seen hanging from a safety pin on the left side of his jacket, and on his sleeve, he had a traditional azabache, a Cuban and Puerto Rican protective symbol, with the words “Dios le bendiga.”  

Hernandez attended the gala hand in hand with his girlfriend, architect Ana Amelia Batlle Cabral, who also paid tribute to her Dominican roots in a strapless Oscar de La Renta gown.

Every element of Hernández’s look felt intentional. On one of fashion’s most visible stages, he incorporated cultural and spiritual symbolism as both personal protection and public expression. Wearing an azabache on his sleeve that literally says “Dios le bendiga” was such a clever and artful way to display his connection to Latine Caribbean spiritual practices, while the larimar, a rare stone found only in the Dominican Republic, subtly anchored the look in heritage. In a space where this kind of representation has historically been limited, Hernández’s styling positioned deeply personal symbols as worthy of visibility—elevating them within one of fashion’s most elite settings.