By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
Green, white and green; the red carpet of the 2024 Met Gala used a colour palette that it associates with growth, birth and gardens. But on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, it set the carpet up for jokes such as Was the theme of the Met Gala, For Peace And Unity? A nod to the final phrase of the Nigerian national anthem because the country’s flag was identical to the carpet, green, white and green.
Fortunately, that was not the only trace of Nigeria at the New York event, although none of our favourite dressers was at the site, however, within the halls of the Met Museum, enclosed behind glass lay two black dresses, a part of the Met exhibition– Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, these dresses were from Torishéju’s MAMI WATA collection. If the name Torishéju rings a bell, it is because she was one of the designers Zendaya wore during the DUNE press tour.
The Met Museum steps were not designed with green vegetation with Nigeria in mind, they followed the Gala theme, Garden Of Time, which is different from the Met Museum exhibition theme (Sleeping Beauties). While many interpreted the theme as flowers, thorns, and shrubs, there was more story to it, a sci-fi dystopian angle.
“Garden Of Time” is a short story by J.G. Ballard about an aristocratic couple who live in a villa surrounded by a garden of crystal flowers that can reverse time when plucked. It explores their privilege and mortality when a menacing horde approaches their estate.
Here are the African stars spotted on the steps of the Gala, with their attires complementing the theme.
Tyla:
The South African wunderkind has been taking the fashion and music world by storm, with the international influence her Water track possessed, it was only a matter of when her letter from the Met team came; did it come after everyone on TikTok was attempting the dance or was it after her Grammy win?
While our previous article finger-crossed Tyla’s attendance at the Met and guessed Balmain would dress an African star, it was still stunning to see Tyla wearing a sculpted sand dress by Balmain. The aim was to make her look like a human hourglass.
Wisdom Kaye:
The people’s prince and words to Vogue, TikTok’s best-dressed guy, Wisdom Kaye, known for his viral TikToks where he styles himself in different themes has garnered a large following across the internet. The Nigerian-American is one people have asked to see at the Met Gala for the past two years and finally their wish was fulfilled.
Kaye dressed as a rose wearing a Robert Wun suit with burnt accents at its hems, poetically, it was at the Robert Wun SS24 show that he made his couture runway debut.
Little Simz:
The British-Nigerian rapper continued her streak with Burberry as a few months ago, she was spotted sitting front row at its FW24 show, now, she is their muse at the Fashion Olympics. She honoured the brand’s history in a trench coat (the icon of the brand), with fringed sleeves and white flowers embroidered along the sides and hem of the coat.
Anok Yai and Imaan Hammam:
Anok Yai and Imaan Hammam have a few things in common: they both have origins in Cairo, are under 30, and are supermodels. With dozens of Vogue covers under their belts, both have made a name for themselves in the industry. Typically this makes them the first choice for designers attending the Met, and this year, the jewellery brand, Swarovski scored both women. The South Sudanese, Yai wore a blue Swarovski crystal-covered catsuit, while, the Moroccan-Egyptian-Dutch, Hammam wore a gold and brown crystal bust paired with a lustring gold skirt.
Ugbad Abdi and Adut Akech:
Known for being the first model to wear a hijab on the Fendi and Lanvin runway, the Somali-American model, Ugbad Abdi has constantly forged a path for hijabi women in the fashion industry. So yes, her Met Gala outfit by Prabal Gurung covers her hair, because you are not a womenswear designer if you can not accommodate Muslim women.
Fashion models at the Met are like florals in spring, predictable, and another supermodel spotted was South Sudanese model, Adut Akech who wore a sheer piece by LaQuan Smith.
Doja Cat:
Doja and Guram [Gvasalia, creative director of Vetements] are a match made in performance art heaven. Vetements, known for its gimmicky and loud approach to fashion, styled Doja who has gained notoriety in a similar but larger manner. Together, they created Doja’s Met Gala, a maxi white cotton t-shirt. By Doja’s account, the wet look was obtained by pouring water, she was wet and using hair gel to give a draped illusion. “I know that people were going to do flowers, my flower of choice is the most used flower and it is cotton.”