Gabrielle Union Says 2024 Met Gala Dress Was 'Inspired by' Daughter Kaavia: 'She's a Water Baby' (Exclusive)

Gabrielle Union's daughter Kaavia wasn't far from her parents' minds at the 2024 Met Gala!

The actress and advocate, 51, spoke to PEOPLE on the red carpet in New York City on Monday, May 6, revealing that her 5-year-old was the inspiration behind the stunning mermaid-like gown she wore.

"This is inspired by her," Union says of Kaavia. "She's a water baby — she loves the water. And she was like, 'Mommy, you look like a mermaid!' "

Union walked the Met Gala red carpet Monday night alongside husband Dwyane Wade, marking their fifth time attending fashion's biggest night of the year together.

The Bring It On actress shimmered in a high-neck Michael Kors dress with a cascading ombré scale pattern of lilac, green and teal. Union's hair was swept back in a beehive style accented with a silver star (dare we say, starfish?) and drop earrings.

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Kaavia (who was also born under Scorpio, a water sign!) has indeed been a "water baby" since she was an actual infant, as she could swim with her head underwater as early as 8 months old.

In a video shared by her former-NBA-star dad, 42, Kaavia entered the water face down without hesitation, while holding onto small flotation devices in either hand.

With the encouragement of her instructor, the then-baby girl propelled herself through the water faster than you can say, “I eat fear for breakfast.”

According to a June 2012 article published on Live Science, babies are born with a reflex called the bradycardic response, a survival tactic that allows them to automatically hold their breath while underwater and keeps them “alive much longer than adults would survive underwater.”

Aside from her fish-like prowess in the water, Kaavia might have quite the head start if she ever decides she's into fashion herself one day!

Speaking to PEOPLE earlier this year about her new ambassador role for Knix, Union shared that she's been archiving some of her clothing pieces for her daughter.

"I have a storage that's just full of things that I'm like, oh, I want to be able to tell this story or how I felt wearing this," she revealed. "So it started with me putting in this beautiful display case my first Met Ball outfit."

"I was also in the museum and then I realized maybe I don't have to display it in my home, but I can put it in a temperature-controlled space that preserves the material and the memories," Union added. "So even if [Kaavia] never wants to wear any of it, she will have this little bit of her mom and the stories that go with it."

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