As stated by Vogue, the inspiration for 2025's theme laid heavily on Monica Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Miller’s book focuses on black dandyism as both ‘an aesthetic and political construct’, telling us that 2025's Met Gala may hope to reflect on societal issues, such as race, through fashion. Miller’s emphasis on individuals expressing themselves through challenging societal norms hints that this year’s theme should endeavour to defy usual Met Gala standards and encourage the celebrity attendees to embrace their individuality.
Alongside Anna Wintour, the upcoming gala’s co-chairs have been revealed to be Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and A$AP Rocky, with LeBron James acting as 2025's honorary co-chair. Unlike previous Met Galas, this lineup features only black men – a huge step in the right direction regarding inclusivity in the fashion community. The lineup hints at a focus on menswear, so could we anticipate Zendaya to showcase a suit this year? Could we also expect Rihanna to make a return this year in support of her partner, A$AP Rocky, as co-chair?
With this theme, I would anticipate a vibrant display of colour, creativity, empowerment, tailored suits, bold patterns, rich textures, headpieces, and much more. Kylie Jenner paid tribute to the late Virgil Abloh, an iconic black male designer, at the 2022 Met Gala. This year, with the theme’s focus on Black style, could we see a revival of Virgil’s unique aesthetic on the carpet? I certainly hope so.
After unveiling 2025’s theme, it’s certainly evident that we can expect to see a celebration of Black tailoring and style, with testament to its creativity, culture, individualism and influence within fashion - I cannot wait to see it.
