The event’s honorary co-chair is Lebron James.
While we enjoy the autumn season and prepare for the holidays, the first Monday in May is already on many people’s minds.
Last week, Vogue announced the theme for the 2025 Met Gala as “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The idea takes inspiration from professor Monica L. Miller’s book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, published in 2009. It offers an in-depth, cultural history of the Black dandy, tracing his origins in Enlightenment England to his presence in the cosmopolitan art worlds of London and New York today.
According to Vogue, the corresponding exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City will showcase garments, paintings, photographs and more, all exploring the enduring style of Black men within the context of the Black dandy subculture.
In keeping with this theme, the gala will make history as it features an all-Black male line-up of co-chairs. Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams will join Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in this prestigious role. Additionally, honorary chair LeBron James also arbitrates the star-studded affair, which is anticipated to be an extraordinary night filled with unforgettable glamor and important historical moments.
The 2025 chairs couldn’t be a better fit. Domingo made his debut at the Met Gala this year and is well-known for his effortless, impeccable style. He dazzled on red carpets this season and many before, earning himself the title of one of Hollywood’s best-dressed men.
Hamilton, on the other hand, has been a Met Gala regular since 2015. He had transformed the once fashion-less Formula 1 paddocks into chic spaces of creativity and inspiration. Over the years, his personal style has elevated him from a sporting superstar to a global fashion icon, turning heads and setting trends along the way.
A$AP Rocky is no stranger to the spotlight, either. His unique and distinct aesthetic is constantly admired and emulated worldwide, making him a favorite among fashion critics and photographers alike. The rapper-turned-designer also unveiled his inaugural ready-to-wear collection in collaboration with his creative agency AWGE in April at Paris Fashion Week.
Looking ahead to 2025, and Williams’ sixth appearance at the event, he will also be co-chairing for the second time. He previously moderated alongside Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Katy Perry and Anna Wintour in 2017 for the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between” exhibit. His long and influential career in music has seamlessly merged with his indelible impact on fashion and continues today as the creative director of Louis Vuitton Men’s.
James, the honorary chair, will be attending his first Met Gala. He brings with him an incredible athletic legacy and an impressive sense of style. His embrace of fashion has helped to bridge many gaps between the two worlds.
According to Vogue.com, the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibit marks the first time since 2003 that the organization has dedicated a showcase solely to menswear and explores the significance of how the Black dandy shaped Black identities within the Atlantic diaspora. Miller (Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University) will lead the examination and trace the portrayals of this faction from its earliest depictions in 18th-century art to contemporary representations in fashion shows and film as both a critical aesthetic and powerful political construct.
Dandyism encompasses both men’s fashion and behavior, emphasizing a polished appearance, refinement and exemplary manners. The style holds significant cultural weight within the Black community, blending the tailoring of European fashion with the rich diversity of African influences.
However, it’s important to note that the style extends beyond mere sartorial choices. It serves as a means to challenge stereotypes and combat the prevailing negative assumptions that have long burdened Black men.
Prior to last week’s announcement, Miller further explained that Black dandyism serves as “a strategy and a tool to rethink identity, to reimagine the self in a different context. To really push a boundary – especially during the time of enslavement, to really push a boundary on who and what counts as human, even.”
The exhibit highlights the history of how Black men transitioned from being enslaved and objectified as luxury possessions to becoming autonomous individuals who express themselves through fashion and global trends. Miller has said that this nonconformist movement “continues to exist between hyper-visibility and invisibility” — and both the gala and exhibit are poised to address that very notion.
The Met Gala will be returning to New York City on May 5, 2025 and the dress code for the event will be announced early next year. The exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will be on view from May 6 to October 26, 2025.
Mark your calendars!
