The first Monday of May is just two days away. Your screens are about to be flooded with everything Met Gala—and rightly so. This year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Both the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the gala itself will celebrate fashion history through the lens of Black culture.
Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour will serve as co-chairs for the 2025 Met Gala, with LeBron James joining as an honorary co-chair. The dress code for the night is “Tailoring for You”, inviting attendees to creatively celebrate Black sartorial dynamism.
Before we dive into decoding the 2025 Met Gala, let’s take a moment to look back at the times Arab designers proudly represented the region—and celebrated their craft—on fashion’s grandest stage.
The year was 2007, and the celebrity was Rihanna—yes, the queen of the Met herself. At just nineteen, she made her Met Gala debut in a halter-neck, off-white Georges Chakra dress adorned with silver embellishments. Nearly two decades later, it feels poetically fitting that she remains a cultural touchstone as we celebrate Black dandyism in 2025—a theme that honours Black excellence in fashion and the power of personal style as a statement of identity.
Since then, a growing number of celebrities have turned to Arab excellence for their Met Gala moments—drawn to the region’s impeccable craftsmanship and distinct point of view. From Zuhair Murad to Elie Saab, here’s a look at the celebrities who have graced the Met steps in couture creations from the region.
Rihanna in Georges Chakra (2007)
Photo: Evan Agostini (Getty Images)
