This year’s most anticipated fashion event draws inspiration from Black culture, honouring the powerful visionaries whose influence continues to shape the future of style.
While most of the millions tune in to the Met Gala each year to catch a glimpse of their favourite musicians or designers, this time, there’s a deeper reason to watch and we are tuning in to feel something more significant. Past themes like Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, Sleeping Beauties, and About Time: Fashion & Duration have explored fashion through history and fantasy. But this year, the anticipation is heightened as co-chairs Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, and Lewis Hamilton lead the charge for Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, a theme that aligns with the Costume Institute’s latest exhibition and promises something more culturally resonant than ever before.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Vogue
So why is this year’s theme so special, you may ask? To put it simply, an impressive cohort of celebrity talent will once again appear on the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Costume Institute on Fifth Avenue, dressed in a style that defines and aligns with the chosen theme. However, this year, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” transcends beyond just a theme — it’s a reclamation, highlighting the importance of black culture and style, inspired by the fore-leaders who paved the way.
Co-chair of this year’s Met, Colman Domingo, sat down with Vogue’s ‘The Run-Through’ podcast to delve into forthcoming details regarding their special-edition Met Gala Issue – giving readers an exclusive preview of what is to be expected on the night. The actor touched on the preparation for the release of the Met Gala Issue and how his experience on-set working alongside stylist Max Ortega had an emotional effect when foreshadowing the weeks to come. “We have to sort through the world to find images of ourselves to say that we exist in spaces that are not usually available to us.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Vogue
What does this year’s Met Gala theme represent, and how does it fit into the broader narrative of fashion history?
Historically rooted in 18th and 19th-century fashion, dandyism was about more than just looking sharp, it was a cultural statement. Originating with figures like Beau Brummell, the dandy was someone who used fashion as a tool of self-definition, elegance, and rebellion, often challenging societal expectations around masculinity and class. In Black culture, dandyism became an act of resistance – a way to assert dignity, pride, and individuality in the face of systemic oppression.
This year’s Met Gala theme draws heavily on the spirit of dandyism, but through a distinctly modern, Black cultural lens. Designers and stylists like Dapper Dan and Law Roach are central to this reinterpretation. Dapper Dan’s Harlem atelier famously remixed European luxury branding with hip-hop swagger, creating a streetwise take on traditional tailoring. His work, rooted in both dandy flair and streetwear ethos, reframed what luxury could look like when told through a Black lens.
Today, that legacy lives on through cultural figures who blend traditional tailoring with modern identity. Designers like Saint Laurent, for instance, showcase this evolution in their SS25 collection, featuring female models in oversized, sharply tailored suits that blur gender norms. Meanwhile, A$AP Rocky continues to embody this spirit, from pairing pearl hair clips with blazers to donning Saint Laurent suits during public appearances. His enduring presence at the intersection of streetwear and classic suiting makes him a natural fit for this year’s Met Gala theme.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Ozwald Boateng
PHOTO CREDIT: Tyler Mitchell
That influence is no coincidence. The diasporic fashion experience in England took root during the Windrush generation, when Caribbean men and women used clothing as both a statement of pride and a form of resistance. Loud patterned ties, sharp tailoring, frilled blouses, brooches, and headscarves weren’t just style choices, they were acts of defiance against societal marginalisation. Today, that spirit lives on in the designs of London-based Black creatives such as Foday Dumbuya of Labrum, Bianca Saunders and more who continue to reinterpret street style, sportswear, and suiting through the lens of identity and legacy.
As the Met Gala embraces Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the steps of the Met will transform into a living runway, spotlighting the centuries-long journey of Black fashion and its global impact, from Harlem to London, from Windrush to Saint Laurent, from Dapper Dan to A$AP Rocky.
This is a powerful reminder that Black style has always been more than fashion, it’s history dressed in intention.
