Meet Mona Patel, the entrepreneur and philanthropist who stole the show at the Met Gala

• Mona Patel turned heads at the 2024 Met Gala in a custom Iris van Herpen dress styled by Law Roach.
• Patel founded a fashion-focused nonprofit.

On Monday night, the biggest fashion event of the year took place in New York City: the Met Gala.

The annual fundraiser benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute takes place on the first Monday of May each year.

The gala brings together athletes, billionaires, A-list stars, and powerhouses in the fashion world, and the 2024 event, which had a "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" theme, was no exception.

Many attendees stood out on the red carpet with their outfits, which honored the gala's "Garden of Time" dress code.

But few made as many waves as Mona Patel, an entrepreneur who wore a custom Iris van Herpen gown to her first Met Gala.

Patel is an entrepreneur and philanthropist

Patel grew up in India and first moved to the US to attend Rutgers University, as she shared on her Haute Mona website. However, she said she only completed one year at the college before returning to India to finish her undergraduate studies.

She moved back to the US in 2003 to launch her business career, according to the Forbes Next 1000 list from 2021.

Forbes reported the entrepreneur has founded multiple companies since she moved to the US — her first just three years after moving to the States — in a variety of industries, including tech, retail, and healthcare. In its Time 1000 profile of Patel, Forbes also said that her ventures include CareFirst Imaging, a Florida-based medical imaging company, and radXai. Patel noted on her website that radXai is an AI-focused healthtech startup, though the company does not have a public website as of Thursday. Business Insider didn't independently verify Patel's business background or the roles she's held in the companies Forbes listed.

Patel did not respond to a request to speak with BI on Wednesday.

Patel also founded the nonprofit Couture for Cause, which raises money for girls worldwide through the fashion community. Vogue said that she auctions off pieces from her own wardrobe for the organization, and the outlet spotlighted a Couture for Cause dinner Patel hosted in 2021. Vogue reported that the event's guest list included boutique designers like Alejandra Alonso Rojas and Jonathan Cohen, as well as several Vogue staffers.

Patel's work in the fashion industry — and her meet-cute with Anna Wintour at a 2020 screening of "Emma" — led to her invitation to the 2024 Met Gala.

Mona Patel turned heads at the 2024 Met Gala

Thanks to the dramatic ensemble she wore to make her Met Gala debut, Patel was among the most talked-about attendees of the event.

Her Iris van Herpen gown was cream and taupe, and it was designed to look like a butterfly, with architectural detailing on the strapless neckline and ornate embroidery mimicking the shape of wings.

Sheer panels of lace covered the sides of the gown, while the train was made of overlapping scallops of fabric that also looked like wings.

Patel's arm cuffs were the pièce de résistance of the ensemble. The cuffs were made of butterflies that flapped their wings as Patel walked down the red carpet.

According to Vogue India, they were Patel's idea and designer Casey Curran helped to bring them to life.

Patel wore her hair in an updo styled by Chris Martin and Edgar Martin, and Sidney Jamila did her dewy makeup.

Law Roach — Zendaya's longtime stylist — served as her "image architect" for the event. Vogue India reported that they traveled to Mumbai, India, together in March to visit an Iris van Herpen factory and help bring the look to life.

Patel's one-of-a-kind look and collaboration with Roach, who said he retired from celebrity styling in 2023, excited social-media users, particularly since many were unsure who Patel was when she first arrived at the event.

"Overwhelmed by all the love and support from around the world for this look," Patel wrote of people's responses to her outfit in an Instagram post on Tuesday. "Thank you so much!