The Met Gala 2025, formally known as the Costume Institute Benefit, returned with a powerful tribute to Black dandyism under the theme Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. Held annually at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the event merges fashion and storytelling while raising funds for the museum’s Costume Institute. This year’s showcase spotlighted the elegance, history, and cultural impact of Black style in both historical and modern fashion contexts.
What the ‘Superfine’ theme meant
This year’s theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, paid tribute to Black dandyism, a cultural movement in which Black individuals have used tailored fashion to express pride, defy stereotypes, and assert identity. Inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion, the exhibition spotlighted how Black communities have shaped fashion through elegance, creativity, and bold innovation.
African stars lighting up the Met Gala 2025 red carpet
South African actress and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha attended as a red-carpet correspondent for African Fashion International (AFI). Her presence offered a proud African perspective on this global stage.
Singer Tyla, styled by Law Roach, wore a bespoke Jacquemus design. The look, with its structure and flair, captured the spirit of the theme.
Nigerian artist Tems collaborated with British-Ghanaian designer Ozwald Boateng. She wore a dramatic peacock-blue gown with pinstripe sleeves and a large bow, blending traditional tailoring with modern femininity, embodying the Black dandyism theme.
Meanwhile, South Sudanese-Australian supermodel Adut Akech wore a custom Christian Dior gown. Her look featured a sculptural feather collar adorned with Swarovski crystals. Styled by @highheelprncess, she embodied African excellence in haute couture.
More than just fashion, it was a celebration of Black identity
Anna Wintour hosted the 2025 Met Gala alongside co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, ASAP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams. Together, they presented a show that was both stylish and deeply meaningful.
Tailored pieces, bold prints, and Harlem Renaissance-inspired silhouettes took centre stage. These looks reminded the world that Black style is not only about aesthetics. It is rooted in heritage, resistance, and the future. In the end, Superfine wasn’t just a theme. It was a powerful statement: Black fashion is central, not secondary, to global style.
Who do you think followed the Met Gala 2025 theme?
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