The African Designers Who Stole the Spotlight at the 2025 Met Gala
This year’s Met Gala was always going to make history, but it did so in more ways than expected, as several African designers made their debut on the iconic stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This year’s Met Gala was always going to be a one for the books. The glitzy annual event, designed to raise funds for the museum’s Costume Institute, finally – in its 77-year history – paid tribute to the indisputable influence of Black style. Through the Costume Institute’s much anticipated exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, and through the fundraiser itself, Black style took center stage. The exhibition specifically explores the ways in which Black men have used fashion as a tool for resistance and reinvention.
This was also the first time an African sponsor, African Fashion International (AFI), alongside the likes of Instagram and the Tyler Perry Foundation, helped support the event financially and had top billing as such. AFI founder Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe tells OkayAfrica that “Black dandyism is a cultural phenomenon that is alive on the African continent – in Congo, on the streets of Nairobi, in Lagos, in Johannesburg, in Cape Town. It’s a moment of reckoning and acknowledging the creative genius that comes from Africa as well as the African Americans in the diaspora.”
Moloi-Motsepe continues: “The Met Gala is more than an event - it is a cultural institution that influences how we view fashion. For AFI, it is an opportunity to highlight the depth, creativity, and global significance of African fashion and to challenge outdated perceptions of what African identity in fashion means. We are not just participants in this narrative - we are leaders in redefining it."
Moloi-Motsepe’s statement couldn’t be truer, as this year’s event features more than half a dozen African designers making outfits not just for African stars, but a diverse slate of celebrities. Designers of African descent often reference their diverse heritages and personal journeys in their work, frequently taking inspiration from and amplifying forgotten or overlooked histories of Black people in the process. African designers taking the spotlight on one of fashion’s biggest nights signals that the continent’s diverse stories and talents are no longer on the margins, but are contributing to the conversation.
Scroll through to see the looks, who wore them, and who made them:
Ozwald Boateng
The British Ghanaian designer’s 2025 Met Gala catalogue features Tems in a blue Ankara suit dress with a puff skirt accented with a green cravat and a matching umbrella; Burna Boy in a red wool tuxedo on a yellow shirt and red tie, all paired with an oxblood cape; Ayra Starr in a black high slit gown with a lapel collar, and Issa Rae in an all black three piece ensemble which she calls “dandy West African style.”
Ozwald Boateng was also worn by Jaden Smith, who walked the carpet in an all-black look with a cape in black and white stripe and checkered pattern; Colin Kaepernick, who wore a three piece burgundy suit made with Kente prints, and Henry Golding, who wore a gold-patterned three piece suit.
Ugo Mozie
Ugo Mozie made an unforgettable mark at this year’s Met Gala designing for and styling several guests, the most commanding being Diana Ross. After a two-decade break, Ross returned to the Met Gala Monday night wearing custom Eleven Sixteen by Ugo Mozie. The look is a crystal embellished white gown and a feathered cape that covers the entire breadth of the stairs and features the names of Ross’ children and grandchildren.
Mozie’s Eleven Sixteen also made the look won by Nigerian chef Kwame Onwuachi who stars in Netflix’s Chefs Table. The look is an all-black ensemble made with a striped pattern, and features a crown adorned by Nigeria-sourced gemstones, as well as custom carved bronzes from Benin, Nigeria.
Mozie also collaborated with BOSS, styling the looks of Senegalese Italian social media star Khaby Lame and American model and actor Alton Mason. Lame wore a grey striped three-piece suit with a waist coat adorned with about two dozen pocket watches. Mason arrived in a black floor-length cape over a sparkling two-piece crystal-embellished ensemble.
Thebe Magugu
For his Met Gala carpet debut, South African designer Thebe Magugu made his eponymous brand's first ever couture look worn by Aurora James, drawing inspiration from the female muses of Central and West African sartorial photographers of the '50s and '60s, the brand says on Instagram. The look features a flowing brown grown made from Chiffon, paired with a dramatic headpiece inspired by the geles worn by Yoruba women in Nigeria and West Africa.
Ivy Getty's look is a layered cream ensemble with metallic detailing, paired with a brown fur-accented clutch.
David Tlale
South African designer David Tlale dressed his longtime friend Moloi-Motsepe in a cream and gold patterned suit with bell-bottom pants, an off-shoulder neckline, and a dramatic cape.
Orange Culture
Nigerian designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal’s brand Orange Culture made an appearance at this year’s event making a custom piece worn by American actor Brian Tyree Henry. The look features a red two-piece suit, a white shirt and long black tie, with black knee-length boots, all covered by a red and gold texture coat that can be said to be a tribute to the late American fashion powerhouse André Leon Talley.
Chuks Collins
Nigerian designer Chuks Collins made the gown worn by American radio and TV personality Nessa Niab. The gown, named “An ode to Mama,” is from Collins’ upcoming Nné Collection, which he says is “a celebration of maternal legacy, identity, and ancestral elegance.” It is made in black silk with corset detailing, and the complete look features a puffer jacket-like cropped cape from Moncler x EE72 by Edward Enninful.
Hanifa
Hanifa, the brand founded by Congolese American designer Anifa Mvuemba, made the outfit worn by Savannah James, the entrepreneur and wife of this year’s Met Gala honorary co-chair Lebron James, who couldn’t attend due to an injury. The look features a striped burgundy pattern throughout and is made up of a jacket with corset detailing in the midriff area and a mermaid style skirt with a wide train.
Deji and Kola
Deji and Kola, the brand founded by Nigerian designers Ayodeji Adebayo and Kolapo Olabintan appeared on the stairs of the Met Museum this year by way of NFL player Jonathan Owens and media entrepreneur Claire Sulmers. Owens wore an all-white ensemble made up of a knitted handwoven Aso Oke tuxedo jacket and flared pants with a fur shawl on his shoulder. Sulmers’ red monochrome ensemble made up of a three piece suit and large cape. The look was styled by Nigerian stylist Swanky Jerry who also stars in Netflix's Young, Famous and African.