12 Black designers were front and center at the 2025 Met Gala

Orange Culture Nigeria’s Adebayo Oke-Lawal was the designer behind Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry. The Nigerian designer, who founded the brand in 2010, often mixes Nigerian-inspired prints, fabrics, and color with contemporary androgynous clothing for unexpected garments that defy the traditional, as evident in Henry’s layered red ensemble, complete with an embellished cape.

Indian-Nigerian designer Ahluwalia dressed White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood and gymnast Gabby Thomas. The namesake label often utilizes textiles and patchwork to convey, and pull elements from, her dual heritage. For the Met Gala, the London-based designer tapped into the “revolutionary elegance of Congolese Sapeurs and sharp tailored looks worn by Black icons” through Wood’s homage to Nigeria and Congo. Thomas’s fiery red two-piece was crafted with 10,000 beads that symbolize “strength and elegance, a visual tribute to Black excellence and Gabby’s journey.”

Bianca Saunders founded her London-based namesake label in 2017. The designer focuses on seamlessly blending men’s and women’s silhouettes with an emphasis on precise tailoring, which made the 2025 Met Gala her ultimate playground. Saunders dressed football star Stefon Diggs in a late ‘70s to mid ‘80s Black American dandy style “that spoke volumes without saying a word.” Inspired by the essence of singer-songwriter James Brown, Diggs wore a black suede cropped suit jacket with a wide shawl collar, straight-leg tailored pants, and a faux fur cap dedicated to the late fashion editor André Leon Talley.

Nick Jonas, who also tapped Saunders, donned a cream cotton shirt featuring structured shoulders, a wrap-around scout collar, and a rose-shaped tie. He paired the top with tailored trousers and Tiffany & Co. brooches.

Since winning Project Runway All Stars Season 20 and making his New York Fashion Week debut in 2023, Bishme Cromartie has been on an exponential rise. The Baltimore native worked with Zuri Hall on an ensemble; his version of dandy featured a pinstripe blazer gown with off-the-shoulder straps, a red rosette, a wraparound sleeve skirt, and a fitted mermaid skirt.

Charles Harbison launched his brand, Harbison Studio, in 2013. The New York-based label relies heavily on vibrant hues, extravagant embellishments, and elaborate silhouettes. Harbison dressed stars including Mindy Kaling, Simone Biles, and Audra McDonald — all of whom wore looks with the designer’s signature cues intertwined with the dandy aesthetic.

Anifa Mvuemba, founder of womenswear label Hanifa, made her Met Gala debut on Savannah James. Hailing from Washington D.C., the designer has a penchant for color and larger-than-life gowns, which makes James’s custom ensemble all the more enticing. It featured a deconstructed corseted bodice, burgundy pinstripes, and a fitted skirt inspired by the ‘70s zoot suit silhouette.

Voluminous suits and delicate details are embedded in Maxwell Osbourne’s design DNA. Establishing his brand, anOnlyChild, in 2021, the New York City native is no stranger to combining menswear with feminine finishes. His designs tap into his Jamaican heritage and draw inspiration from the spirit of an only child’s imagination. Osbourne dressed actors Kara Young and Sarah Snook and both looks utilized the power of silhouette, shape, and sharp details to make a statement.

Since launching his eponymous label in 2015, Scottish-Jamaican designer Nicholas Daley is all about exploring his bicultural roots through a contemporary lens on traditional styles. The London-based designer emphasized the concept of culture at the Met Gala, where he dressed musician Leon Bridges in an oversized striped suit complete with mustard-yellow gloves and matching shoes.

With over 25 years in the fashion industry, British-Ghanian designer Ozwald Boateng is a veteran at reimaging what standard silhouettes can look like. Since his tenure at Givenchy Homme in the ‘90s and as the first Black designer with a store on London’s Savile Row, he’s become a revolutionary contributor to menswear. Boateng had a major night at the Met Gala, with his colorful confection of suits and gowns making its way onto musicians Ayra Starr, Tems, Burna Boy, and Jaden Smith, and actors Issa Rae and Ncuti Gatwa.

Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell arguably debuted the most daring Black dandy looks on the red carpet. The acclaimed designer, who most recently worked on Wicked, dressed Chappell Roan and Janelle Monáe. Both looks channel Tazewell’s otherworldly cues — Monáe’s oversized suit played on the trompe l’oeil while Chappell Roan rocked a bubblegum pink disco-inspired ensemble.

Establishing his namesake label in 2016, South African designer Thebe Magugu is known for reinventing everyday ready-to-wear pieces. The Johannesburg-born creative often attributes his work to his African roots, and no look of Magugu’s is short of vibrancy and sophistication. Aurora James and Ivy Getty were Magugu’s muses for the Met Gala; Magugu himself credited Central and West African sartorial photographers in the ‘50s and ‘60s as his inspiration for the event.

British fashion designer Torishéju Dumi launched her eponymous label fairly recently. The Nigerian-Brazilian creative and Central Saint Martins graduate debuted her work in 2023, which caught the attention of stylist and editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. Her skillful assortment of sleek styles — heavily influenced by tradition, spirituality, and religion — inspired her Met Gala debut look on Kendall Jenner. For the occasion, Jenner wore a gray corseted look with padded shoulders, a peplum bodice, and a fitted maxi skirt.