The 2025 Met Gala will be held on May 5th, with the theme being, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” and the dress code being “Tailored for You”. These themes explore the idea of black dandyism, which is a style that specifically includes suits and menswear that originated from slaves in 18th century Europe. During this time, they made changes and tweaks to their uniforms as a form of creative expression, which overtime has expanded into its own style.
The 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity” written by Monica Miller, is the inspiration behind this theme, which discusses the history behind this style. There were slaves in England who were made to be servants for the wealthy and were given suits to wear. These slaves changed their uniforms by adding their own stylistic touches to the outfits as one way to not conform to their masters.
This would develop into a way for black people during this time to expand their identities and push forward both politically and socially, which expands onto what black dandyism has developed into today. For the 2025 Met Gala, Miller is working with the Met Costume Institute’s Andrew Bolton, to curate the exhibit in representing “the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora”.
While Miller is running the exhibition, there are many notable people named as co-chairs for the other aspects of the gala. This includes Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell Williams and honorary chair LeBron James who are all helping Anna Wintour make the theme, dress code, guest list, and more come to life. There are also many other influential committee members that range from musicians, such as Doechii, to actors, like Ayo Edibri, athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson, and many more people in different aspects of entertainment.
Usher, Met Gala Press Release 2025
Not only does this showcase a huge part of history, but it lets black people within the industry feel represented and seen with this large platform. The Met Gala’s structure allows every person on the carpet to get multiple chances to be interviewed, so many people will be able to talk about what this theme means to them.
This theme for the Met Gala is truly a special one with many significant people running the show and representing a huge part of history. Not only does it showcase a shift in fashion, but it also gives a huge platform to talk about the shift that black people went through during this historic time socially and politically, further emphasizing this historical period’s importance.