Superfine: Tailoring Black Style

In the lead-up to The Costume Institute’s spring 2025 exhibition, Monica L. Miller invites us to look beyond the runway and into the rich tapestry of Black style. Her exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, is more than a collection of garments – it’s a journey through history, culture, and the art of self-fashioning. In this intimate conversation for Hube, Monica shares how centuries-old traditions inform modern aesthetics and challenge us to rethink the narratives that shape our identity. Her insights reveal the power of tailoring as both craft and cultural expression, setting a bold tone for one of fashion’s most anticipated events.

The 2025 Met Gala, taking place on May 5th, has declared its dress code as Tailored for You, a nod to the exhibition’s focus on suiting and menswear. The event will be co-chaired by Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James serving as honorary chair.

hube: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style challenges the notion of fashion as mere aesthetics, presenting it as a powerful narrative device. How do you provoke audiences to confront their preconceived notions of Black style, and what reactions are you hoping to elicit from viewers who may see it as a mere commodity?

Monica L. Miller: I’ve been mulling over these questions for a while. When you talk about ‘preconceived notions’ of Black style, I find myself asking – what exactly are those notions? I might be too inside of it, but one thing is undeniable: Black style is incredibly influential in the fashion world. Over the past 20 or 30 years – especially since the advent of hip-hop and street style – these ideas have not only been positive but have driven the industry itself.

That said, I also wonder about the wider, sometimes less visible assumptions people hold. To address this diversity of opinion, our exhibition grounds the investigation of dandyism and Black style in a long historical arc. We start with objects as early as the 17th century and move through the early 18th century into our modern world – a world shaped by the slave trade, imperialism, colonisation, and industrialisation. In doing so, we invite viewers to have their notions about Black style, Black fashion, and Black dress cultures reframed within a deep historical context. I hope that by doing this, people learn things they never knew and see their intuitive ideas reflected in the actual stories of people and circumstances throughout history.

h: In curating an exhibition that intertwines Black culture with fashion history, how do you navigate the tension between celebration and critique? Can fashion ever truly be liberated from the commercial forces that seek to commodify it?

MLM: I don’t think fashion can ever be completely liberated from commercial forces – it depends on the perspective you’re centring. In my work, I’m not just talking about capital-F Fashion, the system at large; I’m also looking at fashion from the standpoint of a cultural historian of dress cultures. There’s an important distinction here. In our exhibition, we use the concept of ‘rhythm and the blues’. On one hand, clothing and dress are moments of self-definition and self-fashioning that are liberatory, celebratory, and joyous. On the other, they can also be tools of power – power that can be wielded to limit, oppress, or even to violently define. Think about the clothing imposed upon the enslaved.

This duality – celebration alongside critique – is woven throughout the exhibition. We’re telling a story that is deeply historical, one that includes both moments of liberation and episodes of oppression. And yes, there’s an emotional impact to all of this. Some of these histories are incredibly hard; African-American historians even refer to some as ‘hard histories’. But alongside these difficult stories are moments of joy. The exhibition is designed not just to leave you in a state of celebration but also in a thoughtful, contemplative space where the full spectrum of Black style’s impact is acknowledged.

h: Would you say that the exhibition is also emotional in that sense?

MLM: Oh, yes. I do. That’s one thing we’ve been trying to think about more recently – the emotional impact of aggregating all the stories we tell in the exhibition. Some of these narratives are really difficult, what some African-American historians call hard histories, as I mentioned earlier, while others are full of joy. In combining these, the exhibition aims to leave visitors not just in a celebratory mood but also in a deeply contemplative, thoughtful, and even contemplative state. We’ve been planning this emotional journey throughout the entire arc of the exhibition.

h: Fashion often serves as a double-edged sword in its portrayal of Black culture. How do you wrestle with the idea that while Superfine: Tailoring Black Style highlights Black style’s richness, it also risks being co-opted by a mainstream that often fails to acknowledge its origins?

MLM: One of the core strategies we’ve adopted is to ground our narrative in specific, detailed stories of actual people. For instance, in the very first part of the exhibition, we introduce Julius Subis – one of the first Black dandies I could identify from 18th-century London. We explore the conditions he lived under, how he managed to sell fashion, and how he became both famous and infamous for his style.

We don’t stop there. Later, we delve into the story of William and Ellen Kraft, enslaved individuals who used cross-dressing – both racially and in terms of gender and class – as a means to escape slavery. We even re-examine figures like Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois, not merely as historical icons but in terms of their relationship to fashion and dress. By anchoring our exhibition in the lived experiences of real people, we ensure that the richness of Black style is preserved and not diluted by mainstream narratives that tend to overlook its origins.

h: Tailoring, as an art form, is steeped in precision and tradition. In what ways does the exhibition use tailoring as a metaphor for cultural resilience and evolution, and how might that speak to the broader narratives of identity and heritage today?

MLM: Tailoring plays a dual role in our exhibition – both as a literal craft and as a metaphor for cultural strategy. On the material side, we look at what is being tailored, who is doing the tailoring, and why tailoring has been essential at different moments in time. But beyond the materiality, the metaphor of tailoring is crucial. It speaks to the informed, strategic decisions Black people have always made regarding style. It’s not random or just a flight of fancy; every outfit is carefully planned and executed as a form of self-fashioning.

This idea of strategy connects directly to power. When you dress, you’re telling a story; you’re asserting an identity. That dialectic – between the tangible act of tailoring and its symbolic role as a strategy for self-definition – resonates with broader narratives of resilience, identity, and heritage. Whether in historical contexts or contemporary moments, the precision of tailoring underscores how cultural resilience is both crafted and lived.

h: Representing the diversity of Black culture within fashion is no easy feat. How do you confront the challenge of honouring this diversity without perpetuating stereotypes? Where do you draw the line between representation and tokenism?

MLM: I would never even use the word ‘tokenism’ when discussing this exhibition. The key is specificity. We approach diversity by sharing the very specific stories of individuals across different periods and contexts. For example, as I mentioned earlier, we explore the story of Julius Subis in 18th-century London, as well as the courageous narratives of William and Ellen Kraft. We also revisit the lives of figures like Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois – reframing their well-known legacies in terms of their relationship to fashion and dress.

By presenting these detailed accounts, we ensure that the exhibition doesn’t flatten Black culture into a single stereotype. Instead, it becomes a mosaic of lived experiences that span centuries, showing the multifaceted nature of Black identity and its impact on fashion. This method allows viewers to engage with a diverse range of histories and recognise that Black style is not monolithic but deeply contextual.

h: The garments in Superfine: Tailoring Black Style are not just historical artefacts; they invite viewers to engage and reflect. What specific actions or changes do you hope your audience will take away after experiencing the exhibition, especially in their own fashion choices?

MLM: Each section of the exhibition begins with a historical object and culminates in very contemporary fashion – often showcasing collections that were just revealed last fall or even a couple of weeks ago. This continuity is intentional. I want people to realise that every time they dress, they are telling a story. It’s about recognising that the act of getting dressed is inherently strategic – each outfit is chosen for particular moments, occasions, and statements of identity.

As visitors move through the exhibition, I hope they start to see their own strategies reflected in the curated narratives. Whether it’s noticing the meticulous care behind streetwear or understanding how casual wear in the ’70s and ’80s carried incredible intentionality (as seen in the bespoke dapper dance ensembles), the goal is for people to recognise the power inherent in their own fashion choices. With that recognition comes the ability to resist, work with, and even challenge the cultural forces at play.

h: In Slaves to Fashion, how do you see Black dandyism evolving in contemporary media and fashion?

MLM: That’s a fascinating shift. Just yesterday, I read an amazing New York Times article about the NFL hiring its first stylist – a guy who used to run their Instagram and now orchestrates a full catwalk moment every time players enter the field. It’s a vivid, contemporary example of how Black dandyism is very much alive.

This isn’t just about a single moment; it’s part of an unbroken tradition. Sports stars have always used fashion to distinguish themselves, and now, with professionals guiding their style – taking them to fashion shows and advising them on what to wear – the narrative continues to evolve. Whether we look back at 19th-century stories or at today’s shifting cultural moments, Black dandyism remains a powerful, ever-present force in both media and fashion.

h: With Blackness Swedish Style, what challenges and opportunities have you encountered in connecting Afro-Swedish identities with broader Afro-diasporic discourses?

MLM: This has been one of the most eye-opening aspects of my work recently. I had to really think about how the various projects I’m involved in fit together. Working with Afro-diasporic populations in Sweden has been transformative. I collaborate with many artists and performers who are reimagining both their Blackness and their Swedishness.

A colleague of mine, Michelle Wright, talks about Blackness not as a fixed what but as a when and a where – an idea that really resonates with me. In Sweden, I encountered one of the most diverse Black communities I’ve ever met. This experience forced me to think more expansively about Black identity and history. It’s not just about a singular narrative but about a multitude of experiences and contexts. That diversity is what informs the exhibition, enabling it to build community both within Black cultures and across different racial groups. It’s challenging, yes, but also immensely rewarding.

h: Looking ahead, what boundaries are you excited to push in your future projects? How do you envision evolving the narrative around Black style in an industry that still grapples with its historical complexities?

MLM: I’m incredibly excited about the future. One of the most beautiful aspects of this exhibition is that it’s not just an act of creation – it’s a teaching process on a grand scale. I never imagined I’d be engaging with such complex topics in a public-facing way, but here we are. I’m eager to embark on more projects that bring nuanced issues to a broad audience.

The exhibition itself is interdisciplinary – it’s not limited to fashion objects but also includes paintings, prints, film, and more. I’m driven to continue working with artists, historians, and creatives who are all invested in bringing these complex ideas and identities to the public. The curatorial team and I often joke about the endless possibilities for future exhibitions. There’s so much potential to collaborate with those who work in Black fashion and dress cultures, and I’m excited to push those boundaries even further. This process has been incredibly creative and liberating for me, and I look forward to channelling that energy into new projects that evolve the narrative around Black style in our ever-changing industry.