Malta joins global glam-fest as Emmy red carpet sparks local fashion frenzy

TV stars shine bright on Emmys red carpet – and Malta’s living-room critics are here for it
By Hot Malta Newsroom

Sliema’s skyline wasn’t the only thing glittering on Monday night. While most Maltese households were still washing up after the traditional rabbit-stew dinner, televisions flickered to life for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, beamed live from Los Angeles at 2 a.m. local time. By sunrise, group chats from Valletta to Gozo were buzzing with the same question: “Did you see Jodie Foster’s emerald cape?”

The Emmys may be an ocean away, but the red-carpet glamour lands on the Maltese islands with the force of a midsummer sirocco. Local data from GO’s TV-on-demand service shows a 38 % spike in overnight streaming of US award shows compared with last year, a trend Melita attributes to the islands’ growing fibre-optic footprint and the post-pandemic appetite for escapism. “We’ve never had so many customers set recordings for an overseas gala,” Melita content manager Rebecca Zammit told Hot Malta. “It’s almost like Carnival, but with better tailoring.”

That comparison isn’t as flippant as it sounds. In Malta, where village festas pack streets with brass bands and gilded statues, spectacle is a national sport. The Emmy red carpet—an 800-foot burgundy runway outside the Peacock Theater—offers a different flavour of pageantry, but the language of sequins, symbolism and side-eye is instantly translatable. “We understand embroidery,” laughs fashion lecturer Naomi Azzopardi at MCAST. “Our brides spend months choosing lacework for their għonnella-inspired gowns. Watching Zendaya arrive in liquid-metal Valentino is the same thrill, just with a bigger budget.”

This year’s ceremony carried extra resonance for Maltese viewers. Actress Michaela Cole, whose mother hails from Żejtun, was nominated for Best Writing for the drama “I May Destroy You”. Though she didn’t win, her presence sparked a wave of national pride that even the Archbishop couldn’t resist: a congratulatory tweet from Archbishop Charles Scicluna praising Cole’s “Maltese grit” racked up 4,000 likes before communion wine was served.

Bars stayed open late to capitalise on the hype. The Harbour Club in Sliema screened the ceremony on a 4-metre LED wall, pairing champagne cocktails with ħobż biż-żejt sliders. Manager Karl Pace says the event pulled a bigger crowd than the Champions League final. “Football is tribal,” he shrugs, “but everyone roots for Pedro Pascal’s moustache.”

Economists note a knock-on effect. Maltese fashion rental start-up Drip saw a 22 % week-on-week jump in searches for “gold metallics” and “side-swept waves” after images of Quinta Brunson’s Versace gown hit Instagram. Meanwhile, local tailor Jean-Pierre Brincat was commissioned to recreate Sarah Snook’s one-shoulder black velvet for a bride’s pre-wedding shoot in Mdina. “She wants the Succession vibe,” he grins. “I told her we’ll add a touch of Maltese lace at the cuff—L.A. meets L-Imdina.”

Critics argue the obsession is cultural colonialism, another case of Malta looking outward for validation. Sociology student Leanne Ellul disagrees. Her dissertation tracks how Maltese Facebook groups re-edit red-carpet photos, inserting carnival float feathers or festa fireworks in the background. “We’re not consuming Hollywood,” she says. “We’re remixing it, like a DJ dropping ġaħan verses over a Dua Lipa beat.”

By Tuesday afternoon, the Malta Film Commission had joined the chatter, reminding followers that the island hosted three Emmy-nominated productions last year—Game of Thrones prequel scenes shot in Gozo, and episodes of Netflix’s “The Crown” filmed at Verdala Palace. “Next year we want Maltese talent walking that carpet, not just watching it,” commissioner Johann Grech posted, alongside a throwback shot of production crews lining Dingli cliffs.

As the sun set on the capital, tourists photographing the newly installed Tritons’ Fountain were greeted by a pop-up projection: stills from the Emmys intercut with Maltese festa fireworks, mapping Hollywood sparkle onto 16th-century limestone. The installation, organised by Valletta Cultural Agency, runs until Sunday and is hashtagged #RedCarpetRocks.

Whether you stayed up until dawn or caught the highlights between work emails, one thing is clear: the Emmys red carpet has become an unofficial Maltese holiday, as eagerly dissected as the Budget speech and considerably better dressed. The gowns will be archived, the statues flown home, but the after-glow lingers like neon on Strait Street, reminding this tiny republic that glamour is portable—and that even in the middle of the Mediterranean, we know how to shine.