Met Gala 2025: Black Designers Steal the Spotlight in a Historic Celebration of Black Style

This year’s Met Gala was more than a red-carpet affair—it was a reclamation. Held on May 5th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 2025 Gala paid homage to Black sartorial excellence with the theme: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” A nod to the historic “Dandy Lion” aesthetic and centuries of Black fashion ingenuity, the evening marked a rare moment when the industry’s elite paused to honor the very designers and cultural codes that have long been imitated, yet often overlooked.

Black designers didn’t just participate—they defined the evening. From hand-stitched symbolism to reinterpreted regality, their work walked in power, purpose, and pride.

Grace Wales Bonner

British-Jamaican designer Grace Wales Bonner continues to build a legacy rooted in quiet elegance and diasporic identity. For co-chair Lewis Hamilton, she designed a black silk tailcoat adorned with metallic embroidery and paired with a classic beret—a look that honored both 19th-century Black dandyism and Hamilton’s own heritage. Wales Bonner’s vision is subtle but deep, rethreading masculinity through an Afro-Atlantic lens with every stitch.

Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton

As both a co-chair and the current Men's Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams delivered a look that was nothing short of historic. His custom pearl-encrusted blazer featured over 100,000 hand-applied pearls and took nearly 1,000 hours to complete. Pharrell’s ensemble not only referenced the sartorial precision of the Black working class but also proved that opulence and storytelling are not mutually exclusive.

Dapper Dan

No tribute to Black fashion is complete without Dapper Dan, the Harlem couturier who revolutionized streetwear in the '80s and now sits comfortably among fashion’s elite. As a member of the gala’s host committee, his presence was a living archive—proof that style can be subversive, soulful, and rooted in community. His ongoing collaborations with Gucci continue to dismantle gatekeeping in luxury fashion.

Olivier Rousteing for Balmain

Olivier Rousteing, the French designer behind Balmain's modern renaissance, brought his signature architectural glamour to the Met steps. Known for fusing Parisian opulence with global Black aesthetics, Rousteing’s work continues to center bold silhouettes, unapologetic luxury, and a deep understanding of heritage. As one of the few Black creative directors at the helm of a major French fashion house, his presence was both symbolic and revolutionary.

Torishéju Dumi

At just 28, Torishéju Dumi is carving out space with her label Torishéju, pushing a narrative that centers sustainability, diaspora, and radical self-expression. A British-Nigerian-Brazilian designer and one of the gala’s rising stars, her work blends post-colonial theory with architectural design, turning the body into both a canvas and a manifesto.

The 2025 Met Gala was a moment—but more importantly, it was a movement. A movement that reframed whose stories are told through couture, who gets to be called “designer,” and who sits at the head of the table. The Black designers who dressed the world’s most-watched celebrities on fashion’s biggest night didn’t just rise to the occasion—they reminded us that we are the occasion.