Glitzy dresses. A star-studded red carpet. An event that’s simply known as “The First Monday in May.” All of these things, and much, much more, culminate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, but the Met Gala is the annual benefit that raises the funds necessary to sustain the Costume Institute.

So what does an exhibition look like at the Costume Institute? Part of the answer lies within the title: costumes! Dresses, suits, hats, shoes–all of the things that make the fashion world go ’round–are curated to fit the exhibition of that year. But what’s so interesting about the Costume Institute includes the plethora of clothes collected in their inventory from famous designers throughout the ages.

One thing is important to note, however: none of the clothes in the Costume Institute would be there if not for the collaborations and donations from fashion houses, private collectors, and even historic places like the Vatican, which graciously allowed several papal robes, crowns, and other accessories to go on view for the 2018 exhibition, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”

Collaborations like these can be considered contributory, meaning that the people giving their content (or in this situation, their clothes) are aware of what The Met is asking of them, but they aren’t quite sure of when they’ll go on display, hence the reason why all of the articles in the Costume Institute go under a strict packaging and storing process to ensure that the clothes themselves won’t become damaged or destroyed.

Even more impressive is the use of technology to help keep the clothes alive in a digital format. With digital composite scans, The Met now has access to photographs that highlight the intense detail and fabrics that these clothes/works of art all have.

While there’s an obvious collaboration between designers and the Costume Institute, I think it’s fair to say that there’s also a collaboration between art and technology–a pair that, when done right, works better together.

For an all-access, inside look at the Costume Institute, check out this article from Vogue.