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Met Gala 2025: Celebrating Black style and culture

Pharrell Williams at his S/S 2025 show for Louis Vuitton. The designer will be one of the Met Gala’s co-chairs, while Louis Vuitton is sponsoring ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’, this year’s Costume Institute exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Credit: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

On May 5, 2025, the Met Gala® will celebrate the intersection of fashion, culture, and Black identity with the unveiling of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s highly anticipated spring exhibition. The gala will be co-chaired by a powerful roster of icons, including Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James serving as honorary chair. The evening will mark the opening of an exhibition that dives deep into the rich legacy of Black sartorial innovation and its profound impact on global fashion.

Fashion as Resistance: The Legacy of Black Style

At the heart of this year’s Met Gala® and exhibition is an exploration of Black resistance through style. Superfine: Tailoring Black Style traces the significance of Black dandyism—a tradition that has long been an act of defiance and a celebration of self-expression. From its roots in 18th-century Europe to its modern-day manifestation on the streets of New York, Black dandyism has been a means of asserting power, pride, and identity in a world that often sought to erase or control Black people.

Historically, dandyism was associated with men who devoted themselves to style with an almost obsessive discipline, and the concept was often imposed on Black men during the Atlantic slave trade as a means of control. Yet, this fashion trend became a form of resistance for Black people—an opportunity to transform their assigned roles and challenge societal norms. Through clothing, gestures, and wit, Black individuals reclaimed their identity and used fashion to express their political and social possibilities. This exhibition showcases how Black style has not only been a visual language but also a form of resistance, an embodiment of autonomy and self-definition.

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The Met Gala® Dress Code: “Tailored for You”

The Met Gala® dress code this year—“Tailored for You”—reflects the exhibition’s exploration of suiting and menswear. It’s a call for attendees to express their individual sense of style within the framework of tailored garments that celebrate the art of dressing well. The dress code is designed to encourage creativity and personal interpretation, allowing guests to explore the timeless influence of Black fashion icons and the power of suiting as a symbol of Black excellence. This year’s gala promises to be a celebration not only of fashion but of the resilience and creativity that Black culture has brought to the world.

A look from Wales Bonner’s A/W 2024 runway show. The British designer is part of the Met Gala 2025’s ‘host committee’ Credit: Courtesy of Wales Bonner

Cultural Icons and the Host Committee

The Met Gala® will feature a Host Committee made up of a diverse group of trailblazers from across various fields, including art, culture, fashion, film, music, and sports. Among the esteemed committee members are André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Simone Biles, Jordan Casteel, Dapper Dan, Janelle Monáe, Spike Lee, Regina King, Wales Bonner and Usher, among others. These individuals are united in their support of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, a celebration of Black artistry and culture. Sha’Carri Richardson and Usher both expressed their excitement about the exhibition, highlighting how Black style transcends fashion and becomes an expression of identity and movement, a celebration of self and resistance.

The Exhibition: Black Dandyism as a Cultural Force

Guest Curator Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity inspired the exhibition’s focus on Black dandyism. The show will feature a wide array of media, including garments, photographs, paintings, and film excerpts, to trace the history and evolution of Black fashion. It’s a cultural and historical examination of how Black style became a unique phenomenon within the Black diaspora—one that reflects larger themes of race, power, and resistance.

Through the exploration of fashion, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style reveals the importance of sartorial style to the formation of Black identities, particularly in the context of the Atlantic diaspora. This exhibition celebrates the profound impact of Black fashion on global style, and how Black people have consistently used their creativity to assert their power, transform societal expectations, and craft new, bold identities.

A Moment to Celebrate Black Creativity

This year’s Met Gala® and exhibition offer an opportunity to celebrate the profound legacy of Black creativity in fashion. It’s an opportunity to acknowledge the powerful impact of Black style on the world of fashion and culture, from the elegance of the dandy to the modern-day icons who have redefined what it means to “dress for success.” As Superfine: Tailoring Black Style unfolds, the exhibition will show that Black style is not just about clothing—it’s about owning one’s narrative, challenging the status quo, and creating new possibilities for the future.

The Met Gala® is set to shine a spotlight on Black excellence, highlighting the undeniable contribution of Black creators and visionaries to the world of fashion. As we celebrate this year’s event and exhibition, we are reminded that Black style is a timeless, powerful form of resistance—a language that transcends time, place, and identity.

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