For the first time, the MET Gala will spotlight menswear with co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James as honorary chair
Held annually to raise funds for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, The MET Gala marks the launch of the Institute’s spring exhibition, bringing together fashion, art, and high-profile personalities on the first Monday of May. The event has become a cultural mirror that reflects deeper stories and histories through the sartorial choices of its attendees with a specific theme in mind. In 2025, that mirror turns its gaze to a subject that is both timely and timeless: the Black dandy. With Superfine: Tailoring Black Style as its theme, the gala marks a powerful moment in history—one that explores and implores identity, power, and resilience within the Black diaspora.
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Aside from Anna Wintour, this year’s co-chairs—Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams, with LeBron James as honorary chair—will lead an event unlike any recent memory. Not only does the focus center on Black style, but the gala also sees an all-male, all-Black lineup of co-chairs for the first time. It also centers on the contributions and identities of Black men, both historically and in contemporary culture. These co-chairs signal a powerful shift in the conversation, acknowledging the profound role of Black style in shaping fashion’s past, present, and future.
Dandyism, often defined as an elegant, meticulous approach to style, was originally imposed on Black men in 18th-century Europe. Enslaved and free Black individuals were dressed to signal wealth and status in a society that sought to control their image. Yet, over time, Black dandyism evolved into a record of resistance. The exhibition, inspired by Monica L. Miller’s Slaves to Fashion, will unravel how Black dandyism was once imposed on enslaved and free Black people in Enlightenment-era Europe but became a powerful form of subversion.
Through clothing, gesture, and wit, Black dandies challenged stereotypes and subverted the power structures that sought to define them. This theme speaks to the enduring influence of sartorial choices in navigating and reshaping identity, particularly in a society where Black men’s style has historically been misunderstood, appropriated, or overlooked.
The 2025 Met Gala is something of a reckoning. The sensitivity of the theme cannot be overlooked. It compels us to address the difficult histories of racism, power, and fashion, while simultaneously appreciating the joy and creativity that have sprung from these complex legacies. Black dandyism transcends style; it regains autonomy, rewrites narratives, and, ultimately, unapologetically accepts one’s identity.
This year’s gala, while a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, is also a tribute to those who have used fashion as a form of protest. It’s an indication that fashion, for many, is not simply aesthetic—it’s proudly prideful and profoundly political.
Photos: THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART (via website), LEBRON JAMES (via Instagram), POP BASE, MET GALA 21, and LEWIS HAMILTON (via X)
