{"id":222801,"date":"2026-05-07T02:31:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T02:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/222801\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T02:31:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T02:31:18","slug":"nyc-engineer-makes-2026-met-gala-magic-with-robotic-fashions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/222801\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC engineer makes 2026 Met Gala magic with robotic fashions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Janelle Mon\u00e1e\u2019s 2026 Met Gala<\/a> ensemble was more than just a pretty dress. It was a\u00a0moving\u00a0work of art.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Cameron Hughes was the one who got it going.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI made the four living butterflies and two dragonflies featured on Janelle Mon\u00e1e\u2019s Met Gala gown by Christian Siriano,\u201d Hughes, 32, an animatronics engineer from Manhattan, exclusively told The Post of the hardwired handiwork he created for the 10-time Grammy nominee.<\/p>\n

Janelle Mon\u00e1e rocked wires, greenery and machinery at the 2026 Met Gala. WireImage<\/p>\n

Mon\u00e1e wowed among the\u00a0cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me\u00a0at The Metropolitan Museum of Art\u2019s annual fundraiser Monday, the star-studded opening ceremonies for\u00a0the Costume Institute\u2019s spring exhibition, \u201cCostume Art.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

She, alongside incandescent icons Beyonc\u00e9<\/a>, Heidi Klum<\/a>, Rihanna<\/a> and others, ascended the museum\u2019s staircase in required attire consistent with the evening\u2019s dress code, \u201cFashion is Art.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The en vogue edict ordered A-listers and\u00a0couturiers alike to curate looks that celebrated clothing as masterpieces on par with The Met\u2019s historic paintings, sculptures and artifacts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyonc\u00e9 and the who\u2019s who of Hollywood descended upon NYC\u2019s Upper East Side in their stylish interpretations of this year\u2019s Met Gala theme, \u201cFashion is Art.\u201d Matt Baron\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Siriano took the task and ran with it, whipping up a moss-and-wire gown inspired by Mon\u00e1e\u2019s vision for the frock, \u201cart overtaking the machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe earth is overpowering the machine and the technology,\u201d Siriano\u00a0explained to E!\u00a0<\/a>of the number, made with live moss, eight succulent plants, 230 electrical wires, 5,000 black crystals and Hughes\u2019 mechanical animals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was a collaborative slay as the Manhattanite was tapped to join just two weeks before the big show, as the three powerhouses \u2014 Siriano, Mon\u00e1e and Hughes \u2014 all worked together on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cChristian designed the whole dress in, like, six or seven days,\u201d continued Hughes. \u201cEverything was, like, basically done once I stepped in with the butterflies and the dragonflies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cameron Hughes, a design engineer, teamed up with Mon\u00e1e and Siriano to make Met Gala 2026 magic mere days before the big event. Courtesy Cameron Hughes<\/p>\n

Hughes previously engineered a moving \u201cClock Monocle\u201d for Mon\u00e1e, whose stylist discovered his robo-artistry on Instagram, at the 2025 Met Gala, honoring \u201cSuperfine: Tailoring Black Style, so rejoining forces for this year\u2019s f\u00eate was an automatic no-brainer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To mobilize the animatronics, Hughes, with a bachelor of fine arts from Syracuse University, used micro servos \u2014 tiny, lightweight actuators programmed to control precise movement and positioning in robotics \u2014 to enliven the winged insects.<\/p>\n

Using his personal 3D printer and laser cutter, the New Yorker cranked out a kaleidoscope of butterflies and dragonflies to complement Monae\u2019s gown. Courtesy Cameron Hughes<\/p>\n

The creative says he was piecing together robotic elements up until the very last minute. Courtesy Cameron Hughes<\/p>\n

Hughes told The Post he nicknamed the controller \u201cThe Electric Lady,\u201d after Monae\u2019s sophomore album. Courtesy Cameron Hughes<\/p>\n

From the closet-turned-design studio he built in his apartment, the innovator churned out a total of nine butterflies and dragonflies, made of silk organza and silk taffeta, via his in-house 3D printers and laser cutters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking [the butterflies and dragonflies] was because I did everything on the computer,\u201d he revealed with a chuckle. \u201cI sent the designs to the printer and the cutter, they made the parts, and I just glued them together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at the studio, putting stuff together, gluing things in place like the day before the gala.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hughes created a small controller, a device\u00a0nicknamed the \u201cElectric Lady\u201d after Mon\u00e1e\u2019s second studio album, allowing the songstress to control the speed of the wings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a little button controller on the actual dress near her hip,\u201d he said, noting that each component of the craft is \u201creally expensive\u201d to make. \u201cI also made an iPhone app so that she can control the wings from her phone, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the \u201cbeating heart\u201d handbag Hughes manufactured to complete philanthropist Sabrina Harrison\u2019s Met Gala getup, the visionary used five nano servos and carbon fiber.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hughes collaborated with NYC jewelry expert Chris Habana to produce the pulsating pocketbook. Courtesy Cameron Hughes<\/p>\n

Adorned in gold metal plates by jewelry designer Chris Habana, the pulsating purse \u2014 originally programmed for Wi-Fi activation \u2014 ultimately functioned via an on-and-off switch Hughes installed for fear of internet connectivity issues on the revered walkway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He spent nearly 10 days tweaking the eye-catching accessory to heart-pounding perfection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was a labor of love that makes his work a cut above.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hughes spent 10 days making Harrison\u2019s Met Gala masterpiece. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201c[In fashion] everything has already been done with beading, embroidery and all of that,\u201d said Hughes. \u201cRobotics is just a new process, a new way of making beautiful things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The chic machines are making his dream come true, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDesigning for the Met Gala is exciting; it\u2019s like a dream,\u201d said Hughes. \u201cI always want to be on the cutting edge of cultural conversions \u2014 using fashion and technology to create for the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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