South Africans make their presence felt at the Met Gala in New York

The Citizen

06-05-2025

There was a fair representation of South Africa at this year's Met Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Tyla and Nomzamo Mbatha were in attendance at this year's Met Gala. Pictures: Dimitrios Kambouris, Taylor Hill, Getty Images and @nozipho_mashaba /X
There was a fair representation of South Africa at this year's Met Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From Grammy award-winning singer Tyla to the chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, and gowns designed by South Africans worn by international celebrities, Mzansi's presence was felt at one of the biggest nights in world fashion.
The Met Gala serves as the primary fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.
This year's theme was Tailoring Black Style, which explored black dandyism and its impact on fashion from the 18th century to the present.
ALSO READ: Tyla joins star-studded host committee for 2025 Met Gala: Here's what it means
Tyla at Met Gala
This year, Tyla didn't just attend the event in her capacity as a singer; the 23-year-old was also a member of the Met Gala host committee.
Tyla's role as a committee member meant she promoted and shaped the event alongside other influential figures like Simone Biles, Spike Lee, Janelle Monáe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Met Gala chair Anna Wintour co-chaired the event.
Tyla's Met look was inspired by André Leon Talley.
Totally neild it. The look VS the inspiration. #MetGala #Tyla pic.twitter.com/kNhTZpuE5t — ThuliSaul (@ThuliSaul_) May 6, 2025
Basketball superstar LeBron James will serve as an honorary co-chair.
Tyla looked gorgeous in a corseted, crisp poplin dress paired with an oversized men's shirt, finely pinstriped with sequined threads and transparent crystals.
Her look spoke to the theme of the night. The navy pinstripe and oversized shirt pays homage to André Leon Talley, while the crisp poplin fabric recalls traditional dandy suits.
ALSO READ: Dr Moloi-Motsepe's AFI opens search for the next great fashion designer
Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe
Wearing a frock from David Tlale's Spring/Summer Collection, Moloi-Motsepe debuted on the Met Gala red carpet last night.
Moloi-Motsepe is the founder of Africa Fashion International (AFI), one of the continent's leading luxury fashion companies. AFI was one of the sponsors of the Met Gala this year.
'It's a really important cultural moment; a recognition of black excellence, of talent from Africa,' said Moloi-Motsepe.
AFI was the official fashion sponsor for Miss South Africa 2024, the last Cape Town Fashion Week and the Joburg Fashion Week, which AFI presented.
Actress and philanthropist Nomzamo Mbatha acted as the AFI's red carpet correspondent, interviewing some of the biggest names in Hollywood, world music and fashion.
ALSO READ: A 'new template for award shows' as fashion meets music at this year's Metro FM Awards
Thebe Magugu
Canadian fashion designer Aurora James wore a Thebe Magugu dress at this year's Met Gala. The dress is Magugu's first couture outfit.
'I was inspired by the female muses of the Central and West African sartorial photographers in the 50's and 60's,' said Magugu in an Instagram post.
'While the suit has historically been a symbol of respectability and power (granted with a difficult history), it is only one language in a much broader vocabulary of black style.
'Across the diaspora, black fashion draws from a tapestry of references: ancestral textiles, streetwear ingenuity, church elegance, Afrofuturist visions, diasporic remixing and gender-fluid experimentation.'
It took 120 hours to create and uses 12m of carefully chemically crushed pleating made from chiffon in a thorn tree brown.
US model and musician Ivy Getty wore a custom-made Magugu dress at the Met Gala.
NOW READ: Naomi Campbell says South Africa's Thebe Magugu is 'transcending fashion entirely'