African Dandyism On and Off the Carpet: MET Gala 2025

Dandyism is no longer just an Edwardian aesthetic. In 2025, it’s a cultural phenomenon on a global fashion stage. This year’s MET Gala theme—“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”—was a homage and a celebration of Black Identity through the lens of sartorial elegance, community elements and diasporic influence. And African dandyism, as seen on the MET carpet and in the stories surrounding it, shows the intersection of the deeply rooted African heritage and its unabashed expressions and explorations in fashion.

Tems on the MET carpet

Dimitrios Kamouris/Getty Images`

Africa’s New Dandies: Style Meets Statement

This year, Brian Tyree Henry “BTH”, turned heads in custom Orange Culture, a Nigerian fashion brand. The piece featured a long, wine and gold brocade overcoat with agbada-inspired panels over a sharply structured wine suit. In keeping with the theme, this look was a fusion of Yoruba symbolism and modern masculinity into a single silhouette.

Brian Tyree Henry on the MET carpet

Picture credit: @briantyreehenry

There was a lot of excitement and anticipation around the appearance of Ms Diana Ross on the carpet with her being a legendary style and cultural icon for decades, and she didn’t disappoint. She stunned in a crystal studded white gown with an 18 foot sweeping train, embroider with the names of her children and grandchildren.

Ms. Diana Ross on the MET carpet

Picture credit: @voguemagazine

Obeh on the Beat: Reporting African Style with Soul

Let’s talk about Obeh, the on-the-ground reporter covering MET Gala fashion from an African lens. While American and European reporters stuck to the usual celebrity roll call, Obeh brought a fresh voice, highlighting Black stylists, African designers, and diaspora creatives who rarely get mainstream recognition.

Picture credit: @obehiangela

From interviewing Ghanaian-American designer Kwasi Paul on his take on sustainable glam, to spotlighting African talents that graced the carpet, Obeh’s content was prime cultural curation.

On and Off the Carpet

While few African designers were formally invited to this year’s event, their work still walked the carpet. Several attendees (both A-list and underground icons) wore custom pieces by labels like Ugo Mozie, Orange Culture, Ozwald Boateng, and Hanifa, proving that African fashion is no longer peripheral.

Burnaboy dressed in Ozwald Boateng

Picture credit: @burnaboygram

Off the carpet, African style took over the streets of New York. Afterparties saw guests in Pepper Row’s 3D-printed raffia capes, Kente Gentlemen’s neo-safari suits, and hand-beaded gowns by South Africa’s Thebe Magugu.

Aurora James in Thebe Magugu

Picture credit: @thebemagugu

A Global Nod, A Local Flex

What we saw this MET Gala season was a pivot. African designers and stylists weren’t asking to be included—they were asserting their relevance, their genius, and their place in global fashion history. The MET carpet might be curated, but African style lives beyond velvet ropes and flashbulbs. It’s in the streets, on TikTok timelines, in corner studios in Lagos, in concept stores in Accra, and in the DMs of stylists asking for “that one piece from home.”

⸻

Stay tuned to TheGoldScarf for more spotlights on African designers, stylists, and cultural tastemakers defining the future of fashion