RAUL AVILA INC

RAUL AVILA INC Special Events / Fashion Shows / Weddings / Benefits Raul Àvila has been the president of Raul Àvila Inc., since founding the company in February 2005.

Driven to become a success in New York City, Mr. Àvila left his hometown of Bogota, Colombia in 1984. Captivated by such elaborate set designs when attending designer presentations at New York Fashion Week, he soon recognized that event production was his calling. In 1990, Mr. Àvila began his career in events in NYC working as assistant to the legendary event planner, Robert Isabell. He thrived du

ring his tenure at Robert Isabell Inc., with a promotion to Creative Director in 1998. After spending 14 years working by Mr. Isabell’s side, Mr. Àvila was compelled to take creative reign and venture out on his own. With the same tenacity and drive that originally brought him to this country, Mr. Àvila saw rapid success upon starting his business. A solid foundation of clients that had the utmost faith in him, among them Anna Wintour, Aerin Lauder, Oscar DeLa Renta, Marc Jacobs, Costume Institute Gala, CFDA, Cartier, Town & Country, Condé Nast were integral in establishing him as a fixture in the fashion industry. Known for his impeccable taste and talent, he quickly garnered an impressive roster of clients that remain faithful to his work today. Specializing in floral design and sophisticated décor, Mr. Àvila produces special events ranging from benefits and weddings to fashion shows and photo shoots. Most notably he has been responsible for overseeing the décor design for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Annual Costume Institute Gala since 2007. Still bestowed this honor at present, Mr. Àvila has the unique opportunity to transform the MET into an exquisite venue for this important benefit each year. As his business matures, Mr. Àvila has his sights set on expanding his international presence in the events industry as well as introducing his own product line. In addition, Mr. Àvila is evolving his philanthropic efforts, becoming more involved with the causes he supports.

05/27/2026

Behind the Bloom: A event production recap with RAI’s Director of Events.

A masterclass in “handcrafted.”Photos courtesy of
05/21/2026

A masterclass in “handcrafted.”

Photos courtesy of

05/12/2026

A glimpse into the setup process for
One-Year Anniversary Party.

Congratulations on such an incredible milestone!

At its core, RAI has always been a family.A house sustained by the passion of those who believe that excellence is a col...
05/08/2026

At its core, RAI has always been a family.

A house sustained by the passion of those who believe that excellence is a collective effort. I am profoundly grateful for every person who has contributed their energy and their craft to our story over the years. This journey is defined by the integrity of our work and the strength of the people who stand behind it.

Our presence at the Met Gala is a collective victory that belongs to the hundreds of individuals who poured their energy into this vision. Every role, no matter the scale, was vital to the pulse of this project.

We are who we are because of your hands and your hearts.

With Love & Gratitude,

Raúl
🖤

#2026

Fashion Is Art. This year, the journey began long before the first guest arrived. Replacing the traditional red carpet, ...
05/07/2026

Fashion Is Art.

This year, the journey began long before the first guest arrived. Replacing the traditional red carpet, we hand-painted a tan stone pathway, weathered with patches of moss to feel as though it had been tucked away in a Northern Italian garden for centuries.

The heartbeat of the evening sat in the Great Hall: a luminous, 26-foot floating moon. A vision brought to life in collaboration with Baz Luhrmann and Derek McLane, this celestial installation cast a romantic, ethereal glow over a landscape of cypress trees and cascading wisteria.

The story continued at the Temple of Dendur, where “The Garden” met “The Statue.” We transformed the dining tables into decadent still-lifes, brimming with real pomegranates, black grapes, artichokes, and kumquats. Against a backdrop of custom green-striped linens and “romantically decayed” garden walls, every detail from the sculptural rack of lamb to the McQueen-inspired desserts was a tribute to the human form as art.

To our incredible team and the visionaries who trust us to turn the Met into a dreamscape year after year: thank you for 19 years of magic. 🖤

A vision of this scale is only possible through the synergy of incredible partners who understand that beauty lies in the details:

The Costume Institute
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Vogue
Derek McLane
Baz Luhrmann
Olivier Cheng Catering
Petunia Rose
Luxe
Maison de Carine
Kadan Productions
eightypro
waynetrevisani
Flemington Department Store

Until next year,

RAI



05/07/2026

When guests of the 2026 Met Gala walk in to the Metropolitan Museum of Art tonight, they’ll be greeted by a luminous moon about 26 feet in diameter as the centerpiece installation in the Great Hall

The year is 2026, and it is officially the First Monday in May 🖤For two decades, our team has had the honor of turning t...
05/07/2026

The year is 2026, and it is officially the First Monday in May 🖤
For two decades, our team has had the honor of turning the Met Gala dream into a living landscape. What an honor it’s been to watch this come to life.
Experience the 2026 transformation and our full archival journey

Images courtesy of Vogue & Getty Entertainment

05/03/2026

Every single detail, done to perfection 🖤



All rights to audio and video belong to the respective artists and copyright holders

Each year, The Met Gala invites the world into a dream. For nearly two decades, Raúl Àvila Inc. has had the honor of tra...
05/02/2026

Each year, The Met Gala invites the world into a dream. For nearly two decades, Raúl Àvila Inc. has had the honor of translating the world’s most ambitious themes into immersive, living landscapes.

“Behind the Bloom” is an invitation into our archives, a retrospective of floral storytelling dating back to 2007. Visit our profile to step inside the legacy, where every year is brought to life through archival photos and exclusive timelapses of the Great Hall’s transformation.

Revisit history before we make it again this Monday, May 4th.

Archival imagery courtesy of

The year is 2025, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art becomes a celestial landscape of self-discovery. The theme is Super...
04/27/2026

The year is 2025, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art becomes a celestial landscape of self-discovery. The theme is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, and our team was tasked with creating a space that honors the elegance of Black dandyism and the power of sartorial identity.

For this year’s carpet, we opted for a midnight blue expanse dotted with white-and-yellow blooms. This motif—the Narcissus flower, or daffodil—was born from artist Cy Gavin (), who was inspired by the perennials outside his upstate New York studio.

Inspired by artist Cy Gavin’s painting “Untitled (Sky),” the centerpiece structure is a climbing tower of narcissus flowers, which extends up to the ceiling like stars in a sky.

In the myth of Narcissus, the moment of self-recognition in a pool of water is often seen as a tragedy, but Cy reminded us of its poignancy: the power of seeing oneself clearly, away from the identities others project onto us. This sentiment was the heartbeat of the night and a celebration of recognizing one’s own beauty and truth.

Our journey through time ends here. The archives are unlocked, behind the bloom revealed, and the stage is set.
The first Monday in May is fast approaching... stay tuned for what’s in store.

🖤

-RAI

The year is 2024, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is transformed into a multisensory sanctuary where nature and histo...
04/24/2026

The year is 2024, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is transformed into a multisensory sanctuary where nature and history collide. The theme is Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, and our team is tasked with breathing life back into the museum’s most fragile treasures.

It took our team 6 months to translate the scent and textures of the natural world into a living landscape for this year’s centerpiece. Fun fact: Zendaya walked the carpet twice this year—and honestly, can we blame her?
The countdown to 2026 continues with only one year left to showcase before the first Monday in May.
Follow along as we prepare to unlock the final chapter of our archive.

Address

216 8th Avenue
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10011

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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