The Best African MET Gala Moments Through The Years

The MET Gala has come and gone. We all stayed up wearing our pajamas to critically dissect what millionaires and billionaires decided to show up in on a random Monday night. And honestly? It is one of the internet’s greatest traditions.

This year’s Met Gala gave us the usual spectacle: tailoring, theatrics, celebrities dressed like expensive furniture and at least three looks that triggered civil wars online. But somewhere in between all the discourse, it also felt like something was slightly missing. Where were the Africans. Over the last couple of years, it has felt like African presence at the MET Gala had been on asteady increase and sudddenly this year comes aroudn tand it is…gone?

Yes, there were some standout African appearances. South African pop star Tyla looked incredible. British-Nigerian actor Damson Idris certainly wore… clothes. It was still not the most African MET Gala. But it also made me think about the years African stars, models, designers and writers arrived at the MET Gala not just as attendees but as defining figures of the night itself.

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Tyla’s Sandcastle Cinderella Debut

Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

For her Tyla’s MET Gala debut, she wore a custom Balmain gown designed by Olivier Rousteing for The Garden of Time theme. Inspired by the sands of an hourglass, the dress looked sculpted directly onto her body. It was dramatic, theatrical and deeply committed to the theme in a way many celebrities simply are not anymore.

And for a debut? Instantly iconic.

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Tems Arrived Like Actual Cinema

Image Credit: @culturecustodian

By the time Tems attended the 2023 MET Gala, she was already in the middle of one of the strongest fashion runs any Nigerian artist had experienced in years. So naturally, her MET Gala debut delivered.

Wearing a custom black-and-white gown by Robert Wun for Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, Tems looked like she had stepped out of an old Hollywood dream sequence. The exaggerated sleeves, dramatic silhouette and operatic structure made the entire look feel expensive in the most satisfying way possible.

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Thebe Magugu’s Quiet Fashion History

Image Credit: @thebemagugu

Not every important African MET Gala moment happens on the carpet. In 2021, Thebe Magugu became part of the Costume Institute ecosystem with his piece Girl Seeks Girl, exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

And, that moment mattered deeply.

Magugu has consistently represented the future of African luxury fashion without losing its African point of view. After becoming the first African designer to win the prestigious LVMH Prize in 2019, his presence within the wider MET ecosystem felt less like a breakthrough and more like confirmation.

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Anok Yai: The MET Gala’s Final Boss

Image Credit: Getty | Theo Wargo

Year after year, Anok delivers some of the strongest interpretations of the themes. Her recent Black Madonna-inspired appearance alone shows that she is that girl. But her 2021 Oscar de la Renta look remains one of her most unforgettable.

The gown was elegant, cinematic and impossibly regal. But more importantly, she wore it with the kind of presence that cannot be styled or tailored into existence.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Glamorous Co-Host

As part of the host committee for Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, Chimamanda wore a structured crimson gown by Prabal Gurung featuring bows and bow ties inspired by the evening’s menswear-focused dress code.

The look felt elegant, intentional and deeply fitting for a woman whose work has shaped contemporary African storytelling globally. Writers used to occupy a more glamorous space within public culture. They were seen as stylish thinkers, cultural figures and tastemakers. Chimamanda’s appearance felt like a reminder of that time.