Meanwhile, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams have been tapped to serve as co-chairs for the annual fashion event alongside Vogue's Anna Wintour.
- October 10, 2024
AceShowbiz - Met Gala announced the theme for its 2025 event, much to everyone's dismay. The charity event landed in hot water after Vogue revealed on Wednesday, October 9 that "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" would be the theme for the upcoming gala.
In an Instagram post, the magazine explained that the theme "will take the Black dandy as its subject." It is hoped to examine "the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora."
Upon catching wind of the theme, some Internet users quickly took to the comments section to share their thoughts. "Sounds like a recipe for appropriation disaster…Stylists, study up!" one said.
"Am I the only nervous about this?' another asked. Someone else added, "A good theme but let's hope no one will appropriate cultures."
More criticism also came from Reddit users with one writing, "I feel like this isn't going to go well for a lot of attendees.. I hope everyone is respectful but, there will always be that one guy lol." Another similarly said, "So any white person invited can then be accused of appropriating? This already seems like a dumpster fire." A third user noted, "Anna just setting them up," referring to Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour.
According to The New York Post, the idea for the Met Gala stemmed from Monica L. Miller, a professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College and Columbia University. Monica penned the book "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity".
In her book, Monica explained that "Black dandyism was both an aesthetic and political construct" as she examined the Black dandy figure from "its earliest depictions in 18th-century art to modern-day representations on runways and in films." Black dandyism was also described as a concept that will, "illustrate how Black people transformed from being enslaved and stylized as luxury items, acquired like any other signifier of wealth and status, to autonomous self-fashioning individuals who are global trendsetters."
Meanwhile, it's also revealed that Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams have been tapped to serve as co-chairs for the annual fashion event alongside Anna Wintour. NBA star LeBron James, on the other hand, is serving as an honorary chair.
