Black dandyism – Style of dress and self-presentation that uses fashion to assert identity, challenge social hierarchies, and reclaim dignity, particularly within a Black diasporic context. It’s a form of resistance and self-expression, where clothing becomes a tool for both individual and collective liberation.
From the mind of Professor P, Superfine at the Gantt is a celebration of the indelible contributions to fashion from Black people. For hundreds of years, the black community have used fashion as a type of revolution and ascension that has sparked global inspiration.
Inspired by the 2025 Met Gala — Superfine: Tailoring Black Style — The Gantt center will feature elite Black fashion designers, brands, and creatives through an interactive exhibit, a rotating runway panel, photo activations, VIP experience, and more.
Event Details
Dress Attire
Guests are encouraged to dress inspired by Black dandyism, a type of Black fashion deeply tied to the Black American experience. Learn more about Black Dandyism and the Met Gala theme, and take a look at Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
Experience Details
Among the evening’s activations, the experience includes:
- Tailor Made Portraits – a photoshoot with Sancho Smalls
- Dissecting Dandyism – An exhibition curated by Professor P, Carla Aaron-Lopez, Davita Galloway, and Shekinah Williams, sponsored by Nouveau Chapeau Vintage and Archive CLT
- Superfine Rotating Runway Panel – A fashion show + designer panel discussion
- Media coverage and red carpet photoshoot
- Rooftop party to close out the night
- #SuperfineCLTSounds DJ’d by Dammit Wesley
- Special catering from The Thicc Co.
- VIP catering from Big Worm Empanadasblack dany
- A 704 Party production sponsored by Nouveau Chapeau Vintage
Schedule
- 7 pm: Doors open, red carpet access and VIP experience
- 8 pm: Rotating runway panel begins
- 9 pm: Museum party begins
Stay tuned for detailed schedule and featured artist lineup!
Tickets
General admission ticketed guests have access to the public activations listed on the general schedule. VIP ticketed guests receive early rooftop access, exclusive networking opportunity with Charlotte’s elite fashion creators & tastemakers, complimentary drinks, and exclusive catering. All tickets are non-refundable.
FROM THE MET:
FILE – Janelle Monae poses for a portrait at Dream Downtown, on Monday, August 12, 2013, in New York. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP, File)
Black dandyism is finally taking center stage at the Met Gala, with cultural powerhouses leading this subversive, sharply tailored style into the global fashion spotlight. As a gala host committee member, Janelle Monáe and other trendsetters are helping frame Black dandyism as a proud tradition rather than a trend as the movement claims its long-overdue moment of visibility. On Monday, with the world watching, a wave of fashion disruptors and stylists will usher Black dandyism as the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils its new costume exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Read the full story here.
