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What is the theme of the 2025 Met Gala, co-chaired by Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton?
On May 5, 2025, the Met Gala returns with a highly political theme: Black dandyism. Vogue’s iconic editor Anna Wintour will once again preside over the most fashionable event of the year, surrounded by five of the world’s most stylish artists and athletes. Welcoming guests this year will be rapper Doechii, artistic director Olivier Rousteing, and actress Ayo Edebiri. Here’s everything you need to know.
by Jordan Bako,
Superfine, Tailoring Black Style: Spotlight on Black Dandyism
Once a year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts the most prestigious fashion event in the world. Every first Monday in May, the legendary Met Gala brings together celebrities and the American elite for the opening of its annual exhibition. The evening’s theme, kept under wraps until Anna Wintour officially announces it, is always a major highlight.
Following Karl Lagerfeld in 2023 and Sleeping Beauties in 2024, the New York institution revealed yesterday the first details of its upcoming exhibition: Superfine, Tailoring Black Style, opening on May 10, 2025.
The theme draws from an essay by author and professor Monica Miller titled Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Curated by Anna Wintour and Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s chief curator, the exhibition explores the history of Black dandyism from the 18th century to the present day.
Dress code and host committee finally revealed
On Tuesday, February 4, the public finally learned who would serve on the Met Gala’s welcoming committee. Among them: breakout Grammy Awards 2025 star Doechii, American actress Ayo Edebiri, South African singer Tyla, and Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing. Also expected are luminaries from the arts, music, and film worlds, including Spike Lee, Usher, Jeremy Pope, and Regina King.
The evening’s dress code, aptly named Tailored for You, directly echoes the gala’s theme and exhibition. Expect guests to creatively reinterpret Black dandyism through fabrics, accessories, and tailoring — offering refined, personal takes on this elegant tradition. We’ll see the results on May 5.
A fashion exhibition with a political edge
This year’s Met Gala theme casts a spotlight on how Black identities and diasporas have been shaped through fashion. Featuring garments, artworks, and photographs, the exhibit highlights Black designers who have long been overlooked. The effort resonates strongly with the Black Lives Matter movement, which shook the world in 2020.
At the October 9, 2024 announcement, Pharrell Williams emphasized the importance of celebrating Black style, saying: “That’s what the Met Gala will honor: us, our talents, our history, our cuisine, our resilience and our beauty, our style and our strength.”
Ties, pocket squares, sharply tailored shoulders in elegant suits… the Met Gala will celebrate a taste for sophistication and attention to appearance, a rare nod to masculine fashion at this event, with potential for gender-bending interpretations (hopefully without crossing into cultural appropriation).
While we await the final dress code details, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has made it clear that this year’s edition will be one of the most politically charged in the Gala’s history.
Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton: co-chairs of the 2025 Met Gala
For this new edition, Anna Wintour has chosen an all-male slate of co-chairs to ascend the Met Gala’s grand staircase.
Among them: American rapper and Louis Vuitton creative director Pharrell Williams, American actor Colman Domingo (whose career has taken off with roles in Euphoria and Rustin), and rapper A$AP Rocky.
The sporting world is also well represented with American NBA legend LeBron James and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton serving as co-chairs. In 2021, the Ferrari driver purchased a table at the Met Gala and invited several emerging Black talents, including Edvin Thompson, the designer behind Theophilio.
The hope is that the 2025 Met Gala will prominently feature Black celebrities from the worlds of fashion, film, and sports.
The next Met Gala takes place on May 5, 2025. The exhibition Superfine: Tailoring Black Style runs from May 10 to October 26, 2025, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
