Fall 2024 has only just started, but our plans for the first Monday next May are already set. On Oct. 9, the 2025 Met Gala theme and co-chairs were shared with fashion's elite at a press conference held within New York City's famed Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Never fear if you weren't in the room with Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and freshly announced co-chairs Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton, to hear all about "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style"—which is set to be the first-ever museum exhibit exploring dandyism and the influence of Black men on style. Everything to know about the 2025 Met Gala is shared in detail ahead, from the theme to the co-chairs and dress code. With months until the May 5, 2025 event, there's plenty of time to study up and prepare for what will be a notably historic event in a long list of memorable Met Galas.
What Is the 2025 Met Gala Theme?
"Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" is the 2025 Met Gala theme. The title and scope of the exhibit derive from Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, a book published by Monica L. Miller, a Barnard College professor of African-American and American literature, in 2009. The game-changing style of Black men will be the exhibit's sole focus, explored through the lens of "dandyism"—defined as a lifestyle cultivating refinement—from the 18th century to the here and now. Items included in the exhibit will span clothing, photographs, paintings, and more.
Who Are the Met Gala 2025 Co-Chairs?
The 2025 Met Gala co-chairs list is a who's-who of leaders in style and sport. Pharrell Williams, musician and the creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, fronts the co-chair list for what will be his sixth Met Gala. It's also his second time at the helm of the event: He also co-chaired the gala in honor of "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between" back in 2017.
Williams will be joined by Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, and actor Colman Domingo as official co-chairs. Basketball legend LeBron James will also serve as honorary co-chair. Expect to see major 'fits from A$AP Rocky—who regularly takes over street style with his partner, Rihanna—and Colman Domingo, who's worn a range of experimental red carpet suits while on the awards circuit.
Lewis Hamilton is a particularly significant choice for the lineup. First, because he's widely considered the best-dressed driver in Formula 1 racing. Second, because Hamilton has big ambitions in fashion: His league recently inked a major advertising deal with LVMH, the conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton and Dior. And, in his April 2024 cover interview for GQ, he expressed ambitions to start his own luxury house with an emphasis on Black-owned brands. (To wit: Hamilton invited three emerging Black designers to his table for the 2021 Met Gala: Theophilio, Kenneth Nicholson, and Jason Rembert.)
And of course, Anna Wintour rounds out the list of co-chairs. Vogue co-hosts the annual gala and broadcasts its official red carpet livestream every year.
Why Is the 2025 Met Gala Theme Significant?
According to the exhibition's curator, Andrew Bolton, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" will be the first museum exhibit to explore Black dandyism. It's also the first time in decades that the Costume Institute has dedicated an exhibit exclusively to menswear.
What Is the 2025 Met Gala Dress Code?
Sorry, no word on what celebrities will wear to the 2025 Met Gala just yet. While the theme ("Superfine: Tailoring Black Style") was announced on Oct. 9, the co-chairs will keep the dress code under wraps until closer to the event.
With Louis Vuitton as the lead co-sponsor, observers can expect to see plentiful LV logos and tags on the eventual red carpet. Suiting in all forms will also have a role to play in interpreting the tailoring theme. The exhibit's focus on Black dandyism also invites guests to champion Black-owned brands with their designer selection.
Of course, celebrities have taken all sorts of circuitous routes to interpreting the themes of Met Galas past. (See: Kim Kardashian's controversial cardigan for the "Garden of Time" last year.) So there's no telling what they'll show up in even when we do get a dress code.
When Is the 2025 Met Gala? Who's Invited?
The 2025 Met Gala is scheduled for Monday, May 5, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Historically, the Met Gala has been held on the first Monday in May.
Each year, the co-chairs and sponsors invite around 450 guests to take in the Costume Institute's new exhibition before it opens to the general public. (And, they take over the famed Met steps in an array of custom outfits.) The exact guest list is kept under lock and key until the night of—but you can expect to see megawatt stars from across fashion, entertainment, sports, and politics. For the 2024 edition, standout guests included Gigi Hadid in s glamorous Thom Browne gown, Taylor Russell in a wooden Loewe dress, and Doja Cat clad in nothing but a wet towel.
Wait, How Are the Costume Institute and the Met Gala Connected Again?
Technically, the biggest red carpet of the year is actually just a fundraiser with an over-the-top dress code. Tickets for the star-studded Met Gala raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Individual tickets can cost around $75,000 per guest. Typically, designer fashion houses will foot the bill and sponsor guests (while also dressing them for the red carpet).
