The designer LaQuan Smith’s first experience at the Met Gala was as a guest of Tom Ford in 2023. In 2024, he got to design a look for his muse, the supermodel Adut Akech. Now, he’s back again for this year’s event, designing multiple custom looks for attendees, although Smith is mum about exactly who his new muses are.
“I want it to be a surprise,” he told Glossy on Friday.
Last year’s theme, “The Garden of Time,” was a bit outside Smith’s wheelhouse, since he hadn’t previously worked with florals. But the Gala’s 2025 theme, “Tailoring Black Style,” is a perfect match for the designer’s elegant takes on tailoring that have been worn by everyone from Beyoncé to Kamala Harris.
Smith is one of many designers and stylists whose weeks leading up to the Gala are a hectic mix of fittings, last-minute design consultations and promotional dinners and interviews. And as the Met Gala has grown – last year’s event drove over 30 million social media posts – it has become even more of a spectacle. That has meant that designers like LaQuan Smith are in high demand for Gala-related promotions and collaborations.
To wit, this year, Smith teamed up with Samsung for a marketing campaign showcasing how he uses the new AI tools in the company’s smartphones in his design process, including sketching and visualizing styles in different colors and cuts.
“It’s futuristic and forward-thinking, and I like that,” Smith said.
Samsung isn’t the only company outside the fashion industry capitalizing on the Gala. On Sunday, Smith also worked with the Park Lane hotel for an activation showcasing some of Smith’s looks. A Smith-themed cocktail was served in the hotel’s restaurant.
Another hotel, The Dominick in Soho, worked with Met Gala mainstay Law Roach on his own signature cocktail, to be served in the hotel during the Met Gala. It’s called “Luxury on Spring Street.” Roach and his perennial muse, Zendaya, will also make a return to the Met Gala on Monday evening, reportedly working with Burberry.
The Met Gala continues to grow in both audience and prestige — tickets reportedly increased 50%, from $50,000 to $75,000, between 2023 and 2024. And, for designers, it’s an opportunity to raise their profile. Vogue announced last year that its coverage of the Met Gala had exploded in popularity, with the media impact value pegged at $1.4 billion, higher than last year’s Oscars, which was $1.1 billion.
“All of the conceptualizing, the fitting, the late nights of work that go into designing for the Met Gala — that’s all valuable experience for a designer,” Smith said. “We’ve documented it all and will be sharing it on social media. Seeing it there, watching the work I did go viral, I already know it’s going to be a pinch-me moment. It’s a moment to celebrate the craft and the work that goes into the craft. And [for designers], being profiled on such a high level opens a lot of doors.”
