LeBron James and co-hosts lead a celebration of Black identity and men’s fashion at the 2025 Met Gala.
Featuring the presence of major Black stars from around the world, the 2025 Met Gala, set to take place on May 5, 2025, in New York, will have a special edition. The host will be LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. In addition to number 23, driver Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams will be co-hosts.
Last Wednesday (9), Vogue announced the theme for the next edition. After 21 years, the Met Gala will focus on men’s fashion. The aim is to highlight the construction of Black identity.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” translated to “Impeccable: Shaping Black Style,” is inspired by Monica Miller’s work, the book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity (2009).
Met Gala 2025 Will Break the Mold with Men’s Fashion
The event hasn’t focused on men’s fashion since 2003, with the theme Men in Skirts. However, in 2025, Vogue will break tradition and, in addition to returning to men’s fashion, will also emphasize Black identity.
Without a doubt, the team of LeBron James, Hamilton, A$AP, and Williams was very well chosen, as they are personalities who often challenge traditional conventions of men’s fashion. Especially Lakers’ number 23, who regularly arrives for regular season and playoff games in varied and bold outfits.
Fashion researcher Felipe Vasconcelos approved of the choice of hosts for the next Met Gala. “They wear kilts, vibrant colors like pink and mustard, and materials like lace, breaking the usual stiffness associated with men’s looks at these events,” he revealed.
Who Are the Most Anticipated Designers?
Along with the event’s date announcement, Vogue confirmed that the Met Gala 2025 will showcase looks by LaQuan Smith, Christopher John Rogers, and Thebe Magugu. Therefore, these designers are expected to stand out in New York.
Indeed, the trio’s tailoring always seeks reinvention, and with the theme of Black identity, they are expected to explore African dandyism. Materials like taffeta, tulle, leather, and chiffon will likely be present on the red carpet.
It is essential to understand that the exhibition is based on the essence of Black dandyism. More important than merely constructing an identity, the goal is to showcase a concept that has transcended enslaved and culturally segregated generations.
What is Black Dandyism?
Aiming to ensure a gala event, and especially a significant one given it’s the return to men’s fashion after 21 years, the Met Gala will present a historical concept and prompt the target audience to reflect on African aesthetics.
In this way, dandyism represents men with refined taste and fantastic aesthetic sense, though not necessarily of noble birth. The theme will focus on Black attire.
Finally, Black dandyism is recognized for blending European men’s fashion with African aesthetics. It also alludes to the social and cultural resistance of Black people who fought against the devastating stereotypes of Black men during the 1800s-1900s.