Met Gala 2025 Raises Record-Breaking USD 31 Million for Costume Institute at Anna Wintour's Fashion Night

The 2025 Met Gala has achieved a historic milestone, raising a record-breaking USD 31 million for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This marks the first time the gala has surpassed the USD 30 million threshold, eclipsing last year’s total of USD 26 million.

The event celebrated the opening of the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which explores over three centuries of Black fashion and dandyism. The exhibition, inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion, delves into the significance of Black menswear and its impact on cultural identity.

This year's gala was co-chaired by Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James serving as honorary chair. The dress code, Tailored for You, encouraged guests to embrace the theme through personalized suiting and menswear-inspired ensembles.

Notable attendees included Gigi Hadid, who turned heads in a 1940s-inspired gold Miu Miu gown, and A$AP Rocky, who made headlines by announcing Rihanna’s third pregnancy during the event.

The funds raised will support the Costume Institute’s exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and capital improvements, ensuring the continued celebration and preservation of fashion history.

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style opens to the public on May 10 and will run through October 26, 2025, at The Met Fifth Avenue. The exhibition features contributions from contemporary designers and honors historical figures such as André Leon Talley and Virgil Abloh, as per Vogue.

The exhibition is organized into 12 thematic sections, including Ownership, Respectability, and Cool, drawing inspiration from Zora Neale Hurston’s 1934 essay The Characteristics of Negro Expression. It showcases garments ranging from 19th-century livery coats worn by enslaved individuals to contemporary designs by Grace Wales Bonner and Virgil Abloh.

This thoughtful curation shows the evolution of Black dandyism and its role in challenging societal norms and expressing identity through fashion.

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