By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
The first Monday in May hosts the day for an enthusiast’s most anticipated fashion event. It would be second to Fashion Week but the multiple Fashion Weeks make it hard for many to keep track. This event is no other than the Costume Gala at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, popularly revered as The Met Gala.
The annual Met Gala is the smartest move made by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art (MMoA). A Party Of The Year that uses themes, performances, and an incredible guest list to raise funds. With this equation, the MMoA has cured the centuries old problem that even P.T Barnum struggled with in the 1800s— How to sell or fund museum ticket sales.
According to The Met, A 10-person table starts at $350,000. The designers and companies who buy tables get to invite anyone. In the past, we’ve hoped to see what African celebrities would make the list. However, this year, although the guest list is yet to be revealed, a few answers came in earlier– Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ayo Edebiri, and Tyla.
Adichie, Edebiri, and Tyla were listed on the 2025 Costume Institute Benefit Host Committee. Historically, Nigerians like author of Children Of Blood And Bone, Tomi Adeyemi have been a part of the committee as a co-chair. The Met Gala host committee is selected by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The committee is made up of high-profile celebrities from a variety of fields, including fashion, music, film, and sports.
WHY ARE THEY PERFECT FOR THE JOB?
The Met Gala follows the zeitgeist, and the South African singer, Tyla’s influence in the music industry can be spotted across the global, particularly South Korea. She became a fashion darling, making remarkable appearances at the 2024 Met Gala, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and at the Summer Olympics in Paris for a Louis Vuitton performance.
Ayo Edebiri is an Emmy Award winning Nigerian-Bajan actress, comedian, and writer best known for her role as Sydney Adamu in the Hulu series “The Bear.” While primarily recognized for her acting career, Edebiri has also gained attention for her fashion choices. She has showcased a diverse range of styles on red carpets and public appearances. This garnered her a spot on the coveted on Business Of Fashion 500 list.
2025 is a promising year for the renowned and award-winning Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. With a new book, titled Dream Count, slated for release on March 3rd. This would mark her first book in 10 years and her fourth novel. She is known for her unique hairstyles and has covered multiple fashion magazines including Vogue and The New York Times Style Magazine.
While all three are both touching the zeitgeist pulse and revered in the fashion industry, another important factor is their race and how it ties to the theme.
WHAT IS THE 2025 MET GALA THEME?
Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
The Met Gala marks the celebration for the Spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The 2025 exhibition which will run from May 10 to October 26 is themed, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. While the dress code for the Met Gala is ‘Tailored For You’.
The exhibition’s theme centers around Black Dandyism and cites guest curator Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, as an inspiration.
It is the first time since 2003’s Men In Skirts theme that the Costume Institute exhibition will focus on menswear. According to Vogue, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style will explore the role of sartorial style in forming Black identities, focusing on the emergence, significance, and proliferation of the Black dandy.”
WHAT IS BLACK DANDYISM?
Black Dandyism is a contemporary movement that reclaims and redefines the historical concept of dandyism through a Black lens. A dandy was a man who places particular importance on physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies. They cultivated an image of nonchalant elegance, often through expensive and fashionable clothing.
Notable examples of dandies include Beau Brummell— an iconic figure in Regency-era England, Lord Byron— a celebrated poet in the Romantic movement, Oscar Wilde, and Charles Baudelaire— a French poet and art critic. Brummell is often credited with establishing the modern concept of dandyism.
However, the roots of Black Dandyism can be traced back to the 18th century, when enslaved and free Black men in Europe and the Americas began to adopt elements of European fashion as a means of self-expression and social mobility.
These Black Dandies became known for their impeccable sense of style, often incorporating tailored suits, vibrant colors, and unique accessories. They blend elements of European menswear with African diasporic aesthetics, creating a distinctive and powerful visual language. Black Dandyism serves as a form of self-expression and resistance, challenging societal norms and stereotypes about Black masculinity.
Although often left out of the Dandyism discussions, the African fashion scene, particularly the Sapeurs, has played a vital role in dandy history.
WHO ARE THE SAPEURS:
Les Sapeurs are members of the Congolese ‘La SAPE’ movement, an acronym for “Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes” (Society of Entertainers and Elegant People).
Le SAPE movement began in the 1920s and was influenced by the French colonizers style. The African Feminists explains, “Commonly called ‘the Bapopo men’ (coastmen), their Western-inspired attire became THE trend in Congo. Inspired by their West African counterparts, who themselves had drawn from their French colonial masters, inhabitants of Brazzaville began buying second-hand clothes from Belgians.”
The act of buying secondhand clothing and restyling it was called sapologie. Furthermore, The unpredictable supply of second-hand clothing fostered an eclectic aesthetic in sapologie, where color coordination was disregarded and extravagance reigned supreme. Amidst the oppressive environment of colonialism, these Brazzaville men strategically employed vibrant color-blocking as a powerful counterpoint to the imposed sense of inferiority, thereby reclaiming their self-esteem and asserting their dignity.
Le SAPE movement existed across Brazzaville, Congo and these African dandies can be found in cities like Abidjan to date. Figures like 2025 Met Gala co-chairs, American actor Colman Domingo and rapper A$AP Rocky, similarly explore the boundaries of menswear and self-expression through clothing.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE MET GALA.
Vogue reports that, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style will feature 12 sections, each representing defining characteristics of the dandy aesthetic: Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook, Heritage, Beauty, Cool, and Cosmopolitanism.”
A few artists working with the Costume Institute include Tyler Mitchell, Torkwase Dyson, and Tanda Francis. Nigerian photographer and performer, Iké Udé will serve as special consultant for the exhibition.
The exhibition will showcase a rich collection of items such as artifacts, photographs of W.E.B. Du Bois, literary works by Zora Neale Hurston, and archival issues of Jet magazine. The exhibition will also feature garments worn by figures like Frederick Douglass, Harlem Renaissance performers, André Leon Talley, and designs by Virgil Abloh, Dapper Dan, Foday Dumbuya, and others.
