In this edition of the Glossy+ Research Briefing, we dive into how newer designers competed with some of the world’s largest fashion houses to dress celebrities at this year’s Met Gala.
How independent designers present alongside the largest luxury brands during fashion’s biggest night
While the Met Gala always puts a spotlight on the largest luxury brands in the world, this year’s event with its theme of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” also shone a light on emerging Black designers, like Sergio Hudson and Grace Wales Bonner, and their brands.
“This year’s Met Gala feels different—it’s not just celebrating style, it’s honoring identity, history, and voice. Fashion is powerful when it tells the truth, and this moment invites all of us to show up with more intention and more respect,” said Jhara Valentini, founder of Valentini Media Group in an email.
Glossy analyzed the number of celebrities dressed by brands and designers ranging from well-known fashion house Louis Vuitton to newer talent like Bianca Saunders. According to our analysis, Louis Vuitton and Thom Browne had the largest number of Gala guests wearing their bespoke looks, at 12 guests each.
Louis Vuitton named music producer Pharrell Williams as its creative director in February 2023. Although new to the fashion industry, Pharrell has worked to modernize Louis Vuitton and activate the brand in major cultural moments like the Met Gala. Williams co-chaired this year’s Gala along with rapper A$AP Rocky, film star Colman Domingo and racing legend Lewis Hamilton. This isn’t the first time the brand has taken over with a high volume of Met Gala designs; in 2022, Louis Vuitton showcased 14 designs at the Met Gala. The house was then noticeably absent from the Met Gala the following two years, not showcasing a design on the Met Gala carpet until 2025.
Thom Browne, who started his career in custom suit-making, was seemingly a natural designer choice for many celebrities as well, according to Glossy’s analysis. The Met Gala’s theme this year lent itself to designer suitwear, and Browne also brought in a prominent Black designer Paul Tazewell to best interpret the theme. Tazewell is known for his work on productions like Hamilton and Wicked and they created Janelle Monae’s custom look for the Gala, which quickly became an internet favorite. This video of Monae’s outfit reveal, posted by blogger Punkee, has over 5.8 million views as of writing.
Pop star Chappell Roan also tapped Tazewell to create a look for her Met Gala debut. The design piece celebrated the glamour and freedom of the disco era, according to the singer’s Instagram post.
Black sportswear designer Sergio Hudson also had multiple designs featured on the Met Gala stairs for the second year in a row. Hudson designed bespoke pieces for nine of the Gala guests, including Emmy-winning actress and comedian Quinta Brunson, New York Liberty WNBA team owner Clara Wu Tsai and Liberty players Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Lonescu.
London-based designer Grace Wales Bonner, who served on the Met Gala’s host committee and has pieces displayed in the Met’s Black Dandyism exhibition, made her Met Gala debut this year with custom looks designed for four celebrities. They included pieces for F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, photographer Tyler Mitchell, singer FKA Twigs and actor Jeff Goldblum.
Although many designers created looks for multiple celebrities for the evening, 26 of the 62 designers Glossy+ Research studied worked exclusively with one celebrity. In her Met Gala debut, African-American designer Torishéju Dumi only designed a piece for Kendall Jenner.
Similarly, in his second Met Gala appearance, popular menswear designer Willy Chavarria designed a custom zoot suit for Colombian singer Maluma. Although, Chavarria did also design a zoot suit for himself.
Overall, a fifth of the designers featured at this year’s Met Gala were new to the event. According to Glossy’s analysis 20% of the designers worn at the Gala made their debut this year, including Adebayo Oke-Lawal, Hanifa and Bianca Saunders, to name a few.
