Cultural impact of Black men's fashion in the spotlight at upcoming Met Gala

Transcript

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Geoff Bennett: This spring, the annual Met Gala in New York City, one of the bigger fashion events of the year, will highlight the indelible style of Black men. The Met’s 2025 exhibition, titled Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, opens in May and explores the emergence and significance of the Black dandy.

We looked into the rich and complicated historical style and its relevance today. It’s part of our ongoing series, Race Matters.

Dandy Wellington, Style Activist: Now, as you may have noticed, I always have not one, but two wardrobe setups in this office.

Geoff Bennett: Growing up in New York City, Dandy Wellington says he started paying special attention to his appearance at an early age, his style inspired by the Harlem Renaissance.

And the name fits his persona. He’s a dandy, closed-tailored, hats-pristine, and attitude-refined.

Dandy Wellington: It’s a worldwide community. So I will be inspired by people who are in Paris, who are in L.A., people who are in the Congo. There is such a connection to style and also a connection to culture.

The history of Black dandyism and Black sartorial style is complicated. It’s wrapped up in migration and civil rights.

Geoff Bennett: Dandyism was first introduced to Black culture during the transatlantic slave trade. Well-dressed enslaved men were seen as fixtures of wealth for their enslavers. But tailored attire and wit also offered a path for Black men to imagine possibility and power, from 18th century England to today. It’s a way of being that has evolved with The Times.

Robin Givhan, The Washington Post: The Black dandy is a complicated figure throughout history.

Geoff Bennett: We spoke recently with Washington Post senior critic at large Robin Givhan, who has long covered the fashion industry.

Robin Givhan: There was this sort of early idea of enslaved Black men who were often sort of dressed in fine clothing in order to reflect the status of the enslaver. And you also have Black dandies who sort of played with the idea of gender and really sort of tapped into sort of feminine tropes, taking ownership of their body and their presence, but embellishing it in a way that signifies its value and its strength.

Geoff Bennett: Tell me more about that, the idea that the Black dandy aesthetic is in some way a form of resistance, in that it challenges stereotypes about Black identity and Black masculinity.

Robin Givhan: For a lot of dandies, part of their way of dressing is quite emotive and sensual, and that breaks definitely some of the cultural expectations of Black men. And, at the same time, during the civil rights movement, the way that activists dressed was to reflect the degree of sort of respect that they not only had for themselves, but also the respect that they were demanding from society at large.

Geoff Bennett: For some leaders in the fight for civil rights, how they dressed was a critical part of achieving their agenda.

Shantrelle P. Lewis, Author and Curator: Frederick Douglass was the most photographed man amongst his contemporaries in the 19th century, and he dressed up. Any time you saw Frederick Douglass, he was dressed up.

Geoff Bennett: Curator Shantrelle P. Lewis is the author of “Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style.”

Shantrelle P. Lewis: In the 20th century, W.E.B. Du Bois was very fixated on fighting racism, fighting oppression through aesthetics. In the time post-Trayvon Martin, post many different incidents of police violence in the U.S., there was, like, a large mass movement of young Black people in urban areas, whether in the U.S. and the U.K. and South Africa, that began really dressing up for themselves and for their own sense of cultural pride and dignity.

Geoff Bennett: Throughout history, Black style movements have been closely linked to individual identity. And with a style that’s moved across the globe, every dandy is unique, each with a swagger of his own.

Dandy Wellington: You could have someone like me who’s very much connected to the jazz age and the swing era, vintage as the inspiration, but then, of course, there’s also Black dandies that wear on Ankara prints and Black dandies that use streetwear as their mode of expression.

Geoff Bennett: There is a generation of Black men, as you well know, who take such pride in dressing to the nines, a perfectly coordinated suit with gleaming alligator shoes. They would probably describe themselves as having swagger. They probably wouldn’t describe themselves as being a dandy.

How do you draw that line between sort of exuding old-school cool and being a Black dandy?

Robin Givhan: I grew up in Detroit. And I think about some of the men who firmly believe that if your shoes were not matching your suit, then you were just sort of not properly dressed.

And for some Black men, just being seen in sort of full technicolor is an incredible victory.

Geoff Bennett: In the U.S., the bold fashion is seen coast to coast from Hollywood red carpets to the NBA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This year’s Met Gala’s theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, will explore the history of the Black dandy.

And while historically a dandy traditionally referred to men, the movement has grown.

Shantrelle P. Lewis: One of the first contemporary Black dandies to get a lot of attention was Janelle Monae. And she was known for wearing her black and white suits. And, of course, it was a nod to her grandmother, who cleaned for a living.

Lakyn Carlton, The Ethical Stylist: Secondhand thrifting.

Geoff Bennett: For younger generations coming into their own, Lakyn Carlton, known as The Ethical Stylist, advises her clients not to break the bank.

Lakyn Carlton: So you go to the thrift store, you see in the menswear section, there’s always so many suits and blazers and slacks and things like that. That’s where you start.

Geoff Bennett: And every outing brings a new opportunity to add to the wardrobe.

Dandy Wellington: This is a straw boater that I found in England. Vintage shopping is a big part of how I find some of the things. Of course, there are modern designers who make incredible things, but there’s something about the craftsmanship of these items.

Geoff Bennett: A style now center stage at the Super Bowl of the fashion industry.

How does it strike you that The Met has taken this on as their theme for this year’s gala?

Robin Givhan: There’s a little bit of courageousness in it. This one has the benefit of really coming at a time when questions about diversity and identity and gender are very much at the center of cultural and political conversations. And so I think it’s quite timely.

Geoff Bennett: And for Dandy Wellington:

Dandy Wellington: At the end of the day, it is just me. It’s what brings me joy, you know? Whether I’m going to the supermarket or I’m going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the style is always with me.