“The Costume Institute’s spring 2025 exhibition will present a cultural and historical examination of the Black dandy, from the figure’s emergence in Enlightenment Europe during the 18th century to today’s incarnations in cities around the world,” announced the Metropolitan Museum of Art on October 9, 2024. The launch of the new exhibition, titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will be celebrated with the museum’s annual Met Gala on May 5th of this year. As the Met’s most extravagant event of the year, as well as one of the world’s largest fashion events, the announcement of this year’s theme has sparked much excitement and chatter within the community of high fashion and beyond. Rightfully so: the gala and the forthcoming exhibition are setting the stage for incredible Black creators in the realm of fashion, literature, music, and beyond to curate this must-see presentation.
The 2025 spring exhibition takes its inspiration from the work of author and scholar Monica L. Miller, who is professor and chair of the African Studies Department at Barnard College.
Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity highlights the evolution of the Black dandy from its origins in the 18th century to its contemporary relevance in fashion and popular culture. The Black dandy epitomizes countercultural resistance, meant to parody the style of upper-class white men who sported fine tailored suits and high-end fabrics to flaunt their social status and wealth. It is a direct symbol of autonomous self-expression in the face of oppression. While this legacy has retained its salience throughout the years, in modern times, Black dandyism is performed as a means to push the boundaries of conventional masculinity, challenging norms of gender and sexuality through personal style.
The Met has selected a star-studded panel of co-chairs for the gala including honorary chair LeBron James, alongside co-chairs Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams. While these men are known most notably in industries outside of fashion, this gala will rightfully highlight their perhaps lesser-known yet significant contributions to the world of style, particularly within menswear.
One such co-chair, Pharrell Williams, has a long list of accomplishments and credits as a producer, artist, and designer. If we are to say Williams’ notoriety as a fashion designer is secondary, it is only because he is so accomplished as a musician. With 13 Grammy awards to his name and a long list of collaborations with A-list celebrities from Snoop Dog, to Britney Spears, to Jay Z, Williams has made a reputation for himself as one of the biggest names in pop music recording, while never failing to do it with style. Williams is a pioneer of blending streetwear with high fashion in the early Y2K era.
Throughout his music career, he has partnered with designer brands like Moncler, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Most recently, he has begun to really lean into his designer side, assuming the title of Men’s Creative Director of Louis Vuitton (who also happens to be one of the MET Gala’s major sponsors) in early 2023, designing clothing lines and advertisements for the brand.
Lewis Hamilton’s appearance on the panel has likewise caused particular excitement. Often known to sport bold colours and statement pieces, the Formula One star’s pursuit of his own personal style is regularly commended for how he challenges the norms of conventional masculinity, pervasive in such a male-dominated field as racing. Hamilton’s contributions to the fashion world have centred primarily around promoting diversity and inclusivity within the industry, making him a perfect choice as chair for this year’s theme. At the 2021 Met Gala, Hamilton hosted his own table for the first time at the event. He invited along with him several emerging Black designers including Jason Rembert, Kenneth Nicholson, and Edvin Thompson with the intent of putting their creative work on display.
We can expect that Thompson, Rembert, and Nicholson are joined by a plethora of other talented Black creators and fashion designers gearing up for this year’s event. And while the roster of Black artists and fashion icons that will be featured in the event is already something to get excited about, the preparations for the event have equally begun to bring the work of Black creators across a vast variety of other disciples to the forefront. For example, Yale-educated historian and content creator Kahlil Greene (@kahlil.greene) uses his platform to educate the public on current events — including the MET’s spring exhibition announcement— in short, palatable Instagram reels. Another insightful platform to learn more about black dandyism is the Black Fashion History podcast. It is created and hosted by Taniqua Martin, a content creator passionate about educating her audience on the ways the fashion industry has been moulded by Black culture throughout history. The podcast does a deep dive into particular trends, specific designers or brands, all focused on highlighting the often-overlooked role of Black people in contemporary fashion.
There is much to look forward to as the Met’s new spring exhibition begins to take form. In any case, this year’s theme will further underline an already-apparent truth: Black creators are dominating in their respective fields, from fashion, to music, to content creation, and beyond. While no single article could ever fully encompass the scope of these creators, this Black History Month is a great opportunity to take advantage of the resources listed both here and beyond this article to further familiarize yourself with the endless list of Black artists contributing to contemporary popular culture.