The Met Gala Exhibition has been championed as one of the top events on the fashion calendar, celebrating fashion as an artform and this year the conversation about representation became a focus for audiences and the industry. 

The Gala event is held annually and this year it took place on the 5th of May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The evening’s main goal was to raise money for the Costume Institution. 

Each year, a theme involving the dress code is released by the curators at the Museum’s Costume institute, and in collaboration with Anna Wintour, Vogue's outgoing editor-in-chief.

The theme for 2025 was ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’, and aimed to celebrate black culture, exploring the threads and silhouettes of the Black Dandy that came out of the Harlem Renaissance.

It was also accompanied by an art exhibition with black artists like Henry Taylor, Tanda Francis and Tyler Mitchell at the forefront of the exhibition.

The exclusive event invites some of Hollywood’s most elite to tour the museum and get a first look at the art.  

This year, the theme was curated by Monica L Miller, a black woman who has written about the entrenched connection between black identity, fashion and the African Diaspora in North America. 

In her book, Slaves to Fashion, she wrote:

“The history of black Dandyism in the Atlantic Diaspora is the story of how and why black people became arbiters of style and how they use clothing and dress to define their identity in different and changing political and cultural contexts.”

RMIT’s lecturer of Fashion and Textiles, Dr Sean Ryan, said the influences from the earliest forms of Dandyism emerged in the nineteenth century and developed as a consequence of failing social classes in Europe.

“Dandyism emerged in nineteenth century Europe, accompanying both the decline of aristocratic social structures and their modes of dress and the rise of the large-scale production of the Industrial Revolution, from which emerged the tailored suit,” Dr Ryan said.

“The Dandy is an insider, recognisable only to another Dandy, the details of their dress like a secret handshake," he said.

"Black dandyism retains this aura of exclusivity, and as a form of dress it –, like aristocratic dress –, signifies that you do not sully your hands with menial work.”

Senior lecturer of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT, Dr Denise Sprynskyj, said that the Met Gala Exhibition tells a different story every year and incorporates different aspects from contemporary fashion and couture. 

“The theme draws on elements from the history of stylish dress in black culture… this style can reflect the foppishly sharp dress styles evident in black American music and entertainment from the early twentieth century to the present, in Jazz, Blues, Soul RnB, and Hip Hop,” Dr Sprynskyj said.

Dr Sprynskyj said the style of superfine tailoring was a result of an extensive history of marginalisation amongst the African American community, and was considered as cultural expression, whilst also using clothes as a self-assertion.

“The style emerged from the sleek flamboyance of those who inhabit the shadows of society – the pimps and pushers – a reflection of the social marginalisation of black culture and the relative lack of opportunity for black people until recent decades, whose ambition had to play out on the social fringes,” Dr Sprynskyj said. 

“Superfine style adopts and adapts the ‘fine’ style of more conservative and socially acceptable white European tailored dress styles, but with sharper cuts, more dramatic materials, and accompanied by statement shoes, hats, and jewellery," she said. 

This year, black designers like Ozwald Boateng who dressed celebrities like Ncuti Gatwa and singer-songwriter Tems, were standouts, and some of Sprynskyj’s favourite looks.

“Boateng, known for bespoke tailoring, dressed Tems in a long shirt dress with an exaggerated flounce from the thighs, accessorised with matching umbrella and neckerchief. The print in circles and swirls paid homage to African culture and her style was reminiscent of La Sapeuse, a subcultural style of Congo,” Dr Sprynskyj said. 

Boateng himself was a pioneer. He was the first black designer who opened for Savile Row in London, famous for their customised tailoring and hand-crafted suits.

This year’s Met theme was poised in a crucial narration of the most important part of history, and many argue that it was long overdue in celebrating diversity.

In Australia, Dr Sprynskyj said that while there are many talented creatives, there is still a long way to go in normalising diversity in fashion.

“In attending the recent Australian Fashion Week, now under the umbrella of The Australian Fashion Council, I noticed there were a number of designers present who connected with the agency, Blak List, a First Nations owned and operated agency for creatives,” she said.

And while achieving inclusivity in all departments is a complex task, Dr Sprynskyj said this is possible.

“It requires the involvement of industry bodies, governments, and consumers," she said.

"It requires lobbying, publicity, including social media, purchasing choices, and, if necessary, boycotting bad actors.” 

Equally, the celebration of different cultural expressions through fashion has been an important journey to embracing diversity in the industry. 

Sang Thai, designer, lecturer and researcher at RMIT school of Fashion and Textile, emphasised embracing fashion as self-expression within marginalised communities.

“Fashion is an important medium for people to make visible their identities through dress practices and therefore the platforming of diverse dress can contribute more diverse and inclusive perspectives that have always existed but were in part hidden and missing, or excluded,” Thai said. 

Thai, whose research is focused on inclusive design practices, said that high fashion has long been an exclusive artform, and often reflects the social structures in everyday life. 

“What we see on the European and American runways tends to only highlight a particular type of ‘fashion’ and often has not included other dress practices of marginal communities,” Thai said.

“Just as we’ve become attuned to structural and systemic issues through the Black Lives Matter movement, we could also argue that there are structural and systemic reasons for this in fashion as well.” 

While the annual spectacle of the Met Exhibition made a solid endeavour this year, some argue there's still a lot of work to be done in embracing diversity in fashion — both by the industry and the consumer. 

“I think fashion could always be more inclusive and the Met Gala is one platform for some of this work,” Thai said.

“But we all have a responsibility to make fashion more inclusive by choosing to support and buy from brands that support diverse communities and cultures.”