Met Gala 2025: Everything We Know About the Exhibition So Far

The first Monday in May is two months away, and more updates on fashion’s biggest night—the Met Gala 2025—are continuously being revealed. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this year’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme and the star-studded host committee. However, the meaning behind the Costume Institute’s Spring 2025 exhibition deeply celebrates Black history as it relates to fashion and identity. Keep reading to find out everything we know so far about the highly anticipated exhibition!

@metmuseum

Replying to @Joey Favaloro The dress code for the 2025 #MetGala is “Tailored for You.” ✨ The 2025 Benefit, also known as The Met Gala, celebrates the spring Costume Institute exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” opening May 10, 2025. #SuperfineStyle

♬ original sound – The Met

The 12 Sectors of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”

The theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” explores how important tailored clothing is to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora. As the show is inspired by Monica L. Miller’s novel, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, it will explore how Black males have used fashion to express themselves, reshape their identities, and reimagine their roles in society.

@metmuseum

Explore the extraordinary stories of stylish Black individuals across art, literature, music, and society.
Coming May 2025, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will examine the historical and cultural emergence of the Black dandy.
Inspired by curator Monica Miller’s 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” the exhibition will present a cultural and historical examination of the Black dandy, from the figure’s emergence in Enlightenment Europe during the 18th century to today’s incarnations in cities around the world.   Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour will co-chair the next #CostumeInstitute Benefit on the First Monday in May. LeBron James will serve as honorary chair.
The Benefit, also known as The Met Gala, celebrates the opening of the 2025 exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” and provides The Costume Institute with its primary source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, operations, and capital improvements.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” opens to the public on May 10 and will be celebrated at the 2025 Met Gala on May 5. #SuperfineStyle #MetGala2025 #Fashion

♬ original sound – The Met

Because of this complex concept, the showcase is organized into 12 sections that each represent a characteristic that defines “Superfine.” Inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s 1934 essay Characteristics of Negro Expression, the components are: Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook, Heritage, Beauty, Cool, and Cosmopolitanism. Here’s a brief rundown of a few of the show’s sections:

• The Champion section looks at how athletic apparel, like jerseys, reflects the history of discrimination against Black men in sports. Since professional American sports were segregated throughout the early 20th Century, the success of Black athletes who broke barriers also broke stereotypes and influenced style.
• The Respectability section examines how Black leaders, like W.E.B. Du Bois, saw grooming techniques and polished dressing as symbols of power and dignity.
• The Beauty section highlights the confidence as well as the unmatched glamour and positive attitude that emerged among Black men, driven by an experimental mindset following the social justice movements of the 1960s. Rejecting the idea that Black masculinity had to be solely rough and tough, men’s outerwear in the 1970s and 1980s consisted of leather, blouses, and lace, pushing the boundaries of traditional gender norms in fashion.

Ultimately, the exhibit will present how Black men created a safe space to express their creativity through couture clothing, contributing to them feeling good and empowered amid struggle.

Designers Featured in the Exhibition Catalogue

Every year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art publishes an illustrated exhibition catalogue that includes photographs of costumes by contemporary designers and over 30 essays by various thought leaders, creators, and other renowned voices. On February 4, the museum offered a sneak peek in an Instagram post revealing five featured designers—Tremaine Emory, Grace Wales Bonner, Ev Bravado, Edvin Thompson, and Rushemy Botter—along with glimpses of their garments and accessories. Be sure to check out their work!