‘Superfine: tailoring black style’ – Met Gala 2025 theme

The Met Gala, formally titled the ‘Costume Institute Benefit’, is undeniably the most highly critiqued and reviewed event in the fashion world. The event features a range of high-profile celebrities sporting thematic haute couture for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan. It is popularly regarded as the most prestigious fashion event, and never fails to engage with a broad audience. The theme, ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’, was recently unveiled for 2025, which dictates that the designs featured in the festival will explore the style of black men in the context of dandyism, from the 18th century to the present.

Dandyism becomes a political act – using fashion to assert dignity, defy stereotypes, and reframe identity

This is an incredibly unique and revolutionary theme, especially in comparison to 2024’s theme, ‘The Garden of Time’, which was mocked for its general nature. Not only is this the first exhibition since 2003, ‘Men in Skirts’, to focus exclusively on menswear, but the co-chairs are exclusively black men, which is groundbreaking. Alongside Anna Wintour, the chairs include: Pharell Williams – a creative director for Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and A$AP Rocky, alongside LeBron James as honorary co-chair.

The exhibition is inspired by the work of Monica Miller in her 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, which positions black dandyism as both an aesthetic and a political statement. Miller, in this work, writes about a young boy from an 18th-century oil painting wearing a red jacket with a gold collar, as well as Andre 3000. This demonstrates the wide area in which designers can explore and seek inspiration and references. Dandyism refers to a cultural and stylistic movement that emphasises refined elegance, attention to detail, and a flamboyant approach to fashion.

The black dandy, more specifically, refers to a subculture of Black men who were known for their fine tailoring during and following their emancipation in the age of slavery. In this context of black dandyism, dandyism becomes a political act – using fashion to assert dignity, defy stereotypes, and reframe identity. This theme, therefore, has incredible potential for beautifully constructed, politically motivated garments to grace the gala. However, many people have reacted to the theme with hesitation. On social media, people have concluded that all it would take to cause a catastrophe, would be one high-profile celebrity heavily misinterpreting the theme. There is a concern that a white celebrity will, instead of being inspired by Black Fashion, rip-it-off, and tend towards cultural appropriation or something historically insensitive.

There is a concern that a white celebrity will, instead of being inspired by Black Fashion, rip-it-off and tend towards cultural appropriation

In reference to what we should be expecting, instead of the florals that featured last year, we should be witnessing women in menswear, as opposed to the continuous dominance of gowns. Additionally, this is a moment for the male celebrities to outshine and exceed expectations. It is a chance for the female guests to attend in garments truly distinct from their previous outfits. Furthermore, the garments are expected to be crafted and constructed by almost exclusively black designers, such as Maximilian Davis, due to this being an opportunity to celebrate the importance and the impact of black creatives on culture and the arts.

People are most looking forward to Janelle Monae. She is generally known to present successful and interesting looks at the Met Gala and is credited for one of the strongest looks in 2023 with a transformative dress. Additionally, based on Colman Domingo’s personal style, alongside being positioned as co-chair, people are confident that he will excel this year and present one of the strongest looks based on the theme.

The 2025 Met Gala will take place on May 5, so until then, we must wait in anticipation. Will we be graced with on-theme, well-constructed, avant-garde haute couture, or is the event going to be dominated by black tuxedos and thematically confusing constructions?