The 2025 Met Gala’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” celebrates Black dandyism—a legacy of elegance, resistance, and identity that Guzangs has traced across centuries in its Threads of Influence series. From pre-colonial African regalia to modern-day suits steeped in story, this theme lands squarely in our archive. Beyond co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, LeBron James, and Anna Wintour, the newly announced host committee includes 25 visionaries—artists, athletes, and cultural leaders—whose style rewrites the rules and carries the weight of lineage.
André 3000: Southern Soul Meets Dandy Rebellion
André’s 2023 Grammys look evoked the rebellious zoot suits of the 1940s. For “Superfine,” picture him in a Tokyo James emerald green double-breasted suit, featuring exaggerated lapels and Adire-lined panels. It would reflect his Southern roots while nodding to West Africa’s remix of colonial tailoring.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Storytelling in Woven Elegance
Chimamanda often uses fashion as cultural commentary. Her Met Gala debut might feature a Tolu Coker gown tailored in British suiting form, but constructed from layered cobalt and gold hand-printed cotton—referencing Igbo wrappers and the fabric traditions carried through West Africa and its diaspora.
Grace Wales Bonner: Diaspora in Every Stitch
British-Jamaican designer Grace Wales Bonner blends European tailoring with the cultural memory of the Caribbean and West Africa. Her Met Gala contribution might be seen on Janelle Monáe: a navy wool suit with mother-of-pearl buttons and a subtle kente-lined cape, drawing from both Savile Row precision and diasporic spirituality. It would speak to the Black Atlantic—a cultural current she’s long navigated with care and vision.
Simone Biles & Jonathan Owens: Athletic Form, Styled Precision
Simone could upend red carpet tradition in a structured Rich Mnisi cropped blazer with Tsonga beadwork and sculptural shoulders. Owens, in a complementary Mnisi look with exaggerated pleats and angular paneling, would reflect athleticism with West African expression.
Jordan Casteel: Painting Style with Depth
Casteel’s painterly approach to Black portraiture could inspire a suit in hand-dyed indigo, with tonal kente embroidery woven into the seams. A custom Ozwald Boateng piece could bridge craft and intimacy—a wearable canvas.
Dapper Dan: Harlem’s Couture Alchemist
Dapper Dan revolutionized Black luxury by remixing European iconography with Black streetwear. For “Superfine,” imagine him outfitting Usher in a custom Gucci-Dapper Dan ensemble: oversized lapel, embossed with interlocking motifs in indigo and ochre, lined with vintage FUBU-inspired textile—referencing both his Harlem atelier and hip-hop legacy. The look would bridge swagger and legacy with precision.
Doechii: Gender Play in Motion
Doechii’s gender-bending style calls for something disruptive. A chartreuse Orange Culture suit with off-kilter lapels and embroidered Nsibidi symbols could ground her look in queer, West African storytelling.
Ayo Edebiri: Understated with Bite
Ayo’s ironic edge and sleek aesthetic might translate into a Tongoro blazer in bold wax print—sharp and cropped, layered over an exaggerated tulle skirt. A nod to Senegalese playfulness with a wink.
Edward Enninful: Global Editor, Tailored Legacy
Enninful, always understated, could don an Imane Ayissi tailored coat in neutral barkcloth, offset with subtle bead embroidery. His look would carry editorial polish grounded in pan-African material culture.
Jeremy O. Harris & Branden Jacobs-Jenkins: Costume as Commentary
Jeremy’s theatrical presence might come to life in a sapphire velvet cape suit by David Tlale, with beaded fringe and oversized florals. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins could wear a Mai Atafo structured look with ivory-on-ivory embroidery, quiet but intellectually loaded.
Rashid Johnson: Structure in Texture
A sculptural suit by Wale Oyejide (Ikiré Jones) could suit Johnson—a long coat with bronze embroidery mapping the African diaspora. Conceptual, wearable, and precise.
Regina King & Audra McDonald: Black Tie, Rewritten
Regina could wear a structured wrap jacket in forest green and gold kente by Imane Ayissi, blending power and softness. Audra, in a Tongoro tuxedo-style gown with wax print lapels, would embody timeless drama.
Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee: Brooklyn and Beyond
Spike, ever the provocateur, could wear a purple Ozwald Boateng suit piped with Ashanti symbols. Tonya, known for refined statements, might opt for a Coker structured silk tunic with hand-sewn Yoruba beads.
Janelle Monáe: Future Tense, Past Rooted
A Wales Bonner menswear look: perhaps a navy tuxedo embroidered with Adinkra symbols, with saffron silk lining and sculptural shoulder cape. Regal, unfixed in time.
Jeremy Pope: The Polished Chameleon
A metallic bronze suit by Tokyo James with a deconstructed hem and hidden mesh layers could give Pope that signature edge—merging classic and clubwear.
Angel Reese & Sha’Carri Richardson: Next-Gen Swagger
Reese might go full Orange Culture in an asymmetrical blazer and short set in forest green wax print. Sha’Carri could storm the steps in a Rich Mnisi suit with coral-toned bead accents and cutout details—rebellious and regal.
Olivier Rousteing: Lavish Architect
Balmain’s creative director could present a reworked military jacket featuring Faso Dan Fani appliqués and architectural shoulders—African tradition recast in Parisian flamboyance.
Tyla: Sculpted Siren of the South
Tyla, who stunned in Balmain in 2024, could return in a sculptural Mnisi number: curved hem, bare shoulders, and beading in amethyst and ivory—a nod to both Tsonga lineage and futurist glamour.
Usher: Vegas Swagger, Harlem Couture
Styled by Dapper Dan, Usher could walk in a red velvet double-breasted suit, lined with Mali indigo and adorned with 90s-era Gucci font appliqué—an homage to hip-hop’s luxury remix.
Kara Walker: Minimalism with Depth
Walker’s art strips things bare. An Ozwald Boateng suit in black with white kente lapel piping would echo her language—minimal, loaded, unforgettable.
A Tapestry of Tailored Identity
This host committee is more than a list—it’s a map. Each name, a thread in the long story of Black dandyism, from Threads I’s pre-colonial sophistication to Threads IV’s bold refusal of norms. From Harlem to Lagos, Port-au-Prince to London, this is not just fashion—it’s cultural authorship. Expect a red carpet lined in intention, craft, and unapologetic flair.
Image credits
Ayo Edibere / Courtesy via her instagram
Chimamanda /Courtesy via her instagram
Regina King /Courtesy her Instagram
Dapper Dan /Courtesy via his Instagram
Doechi / Courtesy via Instagram
Edward Enninful /Courtesy via Edward’s.
Grace Wales BonnerPhoto- Courtesy of Wales Bonner
Janelle Monae on IG shot by Dalvin Adams .
Jeremy O Harris Credit by : Bode Pre Fall Shoot
Usher’s ( Courtesy via his instagram)
Jeremy Pope via his instagram