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Tailoring Black Style: The Met Gala stands against Trump’s anti-DEI agenda

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Fashion fights back: Resisting the erosion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion


Superfine: Tailoring Black Style is the theme of the 2025 Met Gala. A direct response to the growing threat to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) under Trump’s influence. As the Trumpization of politics fuels division across American culture and beyond, the global fashion industry is pushing back. So, this year’s Met Gala deliberately centres Black creativity. In fact, the event caught our attention because we see fashion as culture. Specifically, we’re interested in unpacking the concepts and messages woven into the clothes.

The Met Gala: Beyond celebrity spectacle


We’ve never been ardent admirers of the Met Gala. Ostensibly a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, the event has devolved into a display of celebrity excess, far removed from true elegance. As Tom Ford once remarked, “The event turned into a costume party.”

But this year, something different happened.

Tailoring Black Style: Fashion as identity and resistance


The 2025 exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, focuses on cultural significance, not just celebrity theatrics. Divided into 12 sections, it draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, exploring how African American designers have shaped global fashion.

The dress code, Tailored for You, was more than an aesthetic choice—it was a declaration of identity. As Anna Wintour stated, “In this political moment, this exhibition and gala stand in solidarity with the Black community.”

A defiant statement against Trump’s anti-DEI policies


However, the timing is no coincidence. Within Trump’s first 100 days in office, DEI initiatives faced aggressive dismantling, including attempts to erase Black history from cultural institutions. Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter voiced a shared frustration: “They’re taking everything away from us.”

So, this year’s Met Gala was a direct challenge to that erasure. By celebrating Black contributions to fashion, it resisted the administration’s regressive policies.

Final thoughts


With Tailoring Black Style, the Met Gala not only celebrated the Black community’s contribution to fashion but also reinforced fashion’s role as a cultural and political statement.

As DEI principles come under attack, events like this matter. They are acts of defiance—reminders that culture cannot be whitewashed. In this spirt, we stand with every individual, brand, and institution that rejects the Trumpization of society and upholds the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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The Met Gala Circus

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A glimpse into the world of bad taste


People may think that events such as Met Gala offer hints of elegance. Please, forget it. Raised eyebrows were our reaction to viewing the pictures, not for facial gymnastics but as a sign of perplexity. What’s the point of that wild parade?

Our last post was about elegance; we wonder what went wrong with it, why bad taste prevailed, and here comes the Met Gala to present further suggestions.

Met Gala – What is it?


Born for the purpose of charity, Met Gala is the annual fundraising event of the Costume Institute Gala by the New York Metropolitan Museum Of Art. Every year there’s a different theme, and so the guests have to dress for that theme.

The problem is that dressing to a theme got out of hand. So now we see celebrities dressed as clowns whose unspoken message is a cry for attention, an attitude that resembles social media communication. And so, even if the charitable purpose is worthy, the sad show offered by the clownesque looks makes it seem paradoxical.

Tom Ford, who showed up in a classic black tailcoat, said: “I don’t really do themes”. Also, he declared that the event turned “into a costume party”. We couldn’t agree more. Tom Ford’s words were really on point. Like his outfit, which was impeccable. Elegant indeed.

Lately, the Met Gala looks recalled more of the “Carnevale di Viareggio” rather than a stylish event. (Side note: Carnevale di Viareggio is one of the biggest carnival shows in Italy and the world).

Finally, we go back to the point: elegance is dead, and there are no style icons. In other words, we live in the bad taste era, where the language that dominates is the social media language, and the need to impress others is all that counts.

Met Gala? Elegance has nothing to do with that.

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Who Wore Who? Who Really Cares!

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Met Gala and the celebrities’ circus


‘Who wore who’ is the question we try to avoid these days. Specifically, the Met Gala raises significant doubts as we can’t see glamour or elegance. Indeed, this annual gathering of celebrities organised by Vogue looks more like a circus than a glamourous event, leaving little room for true sophistication.

The Met Gala is a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, which marks the opening of the Institute’s annual fashion exhibition. Known as the “fashion’s biggest night,” it aims to represent the fashion universe.

The theme of the 2023 edition was “in honour of Karl.” Lagerfeld, of course. Though every year faces its own controversy, the event went out of hand.

Met Gala & who wore what


We see two main issues:
First, people expect to witness a representation of fashion, style, and glamour. Just, we haven’t seen any of that. Although we can pick out a few nice outfits every year choosing the best-dressed, the whole thing is gross, excessive. And it feels sad to see fashion depicted like that. Moreover, we are surprised because even the actors that usually have an elegant figure, lose it at the gala.

Second, brands pay celebrities to wear their clothes because they influence the masses to buy their products. However, this perpetuates a toxic culture, pushing people to compare themselves to an unattainable lifestyle.
How do celebrities choose one brand over another? Simple: whoever writes the highest figure cheque; that’s the one they pick. Forget any style choice—it’s all about the money.
Most importantly, the “celebrity cost” is absorbed in the retail price of clothing, shoes, and handbags. In the end, it’s the consumers who pay to sustain the extravagant lifestyles of their idols—idols who, ironically, could afford luxury even without these brand endorsements.

In short, celebrities pay to attend the gala while getting paid by brands to wear their clothes. It’s a full-blown celebrities’ circus!

But the real question is: why are people supporting this? That’s the point!
Who wore who? Honestly, who really cares!”

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The (Un)Sustainable Fashion Awards 2025: Greenwash event at Milano Fashion Week

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A green carpet during Milano Fashion Week to celebrate fashion’s greatest paradox


On September 27, 2025, the Teatro Alla Scala hosted the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards, the official green carpet event for Milano Fashion Week SS26. Its mission: to celebrate the innovators and Italian fashion houses, ostensibly driving the industry toward a sustainable future.

The event, organised by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana in collaboration with the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, promised to honour those distinguished by their “vision, innovation, commitment to craftsmanship, circular economy, human rights, environmental justice, and biodiversity.”

A symbolic green carpet welcomed guests like Anna Wintour and Naomi Campbell, who wore outfits made from sustainable materials, presenting a unified front for a greener fashion industry.

The celebration: Nine green awards 


The ceremony proceeded to distribute nine awards, each targeting a key pillar of sustainability:

  • The SFA Craft and Artisanship Award: Tod’s Group
  • The SFA Circular Economy Award: Regenesi
  • The SFA Biodiversity and Water Award: Ermenegildo Zegna Group
  • The SFA Climate Action Award: Schneider Group
  • The SFA Diversity and Inclusion Award: Willy Chavarria
  • The SFA Groundbreaker Award: Aura Blockchain Consortium
  • The SFA Education of Excellence Award: Kiton
  • The SFA Human Capital and Social Impact Award: Saheli Woman
  • The Bicester Collection Award for Emerging Designers: The Sake Project

The pinnacle of the evening saw Anna Wintour present the New Legacy Award to Giorgio Armani. 

However, by all official accounts, it was a night of triumph—a consolidation of brands’ sustainable missions, widely covered in the press as a positive step forward. 

Yet, according to Ansa, “Prosecutors request judicial administration for Tod’s. The Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested that high-end shoemaker Tod’s spa be put into judicial administration over alleged worker exploitation at factories run by Chinese people in its production chain, sources told ANSA on Wednesday, confirming a Reuters report.”

After all, it’s even ironic with all the brands put under investigation for labour exploitation. Tod’s is simply the last one added to the list. How does CNMI evaluate this particular aspect of “sustainability?”

Sustainable Fashion Awards: What do they even mean?


And so, for one night, all these people wore sustainable materials. The headlines celebrated a green vision. The brands were applauded.

But this is where we must pause and ask: What does any of this actually mean? Does anyone there have an idea of what “sustainable” means? 

Does a single award cancel out a brand’s vast linear production model? Does it justify the immense water and land use of a global supply chain? And does wearing one sustainable outfit on the red carpet make the entire attending house sustainable? Really, what are we talking about?

Sustainability: The uncomfortable truth


The uncomfortable truth is this: true sustainability in the fashion industry, as it currently operates, is a myth.

Celebrating “Sustainable Fashion” at a glitzy awards gala is the industry’s greatest paradox. These awards create the illusion of progress while the core system—built on overproduction, overconsumption, and globalised, opaque supply chains—remains fundamentally unchanged.

A few sustainable collections or material experiments are not enough to offset the environmental and social footprint of a multi-trillion dollar industry. 

In order to be truly sustainable, the fashion industry wouldn’t need awards; it would need to be redone from scratch. The very nature of these ceremonies exposes their inherent contradiction, a point perfectly illustrated by an excerpt including a telling anecdote from our book This is Greenwashing:

“While the name suggests recognition of progress towards circularity or sustainability, these awards rarely go to small, independent brands. Instead, they spotlight the same top fashion houses – the ones with the largest environmental footprints and marketing budgets.
At one edition of the Green Carpet Fashion Awards, designer Antonio Marras presented a dress crafted entirely from recycled fabric. Yet, because the fabrics weren’t sourced from certified sustainable labels, the jury asked him to remake the garment from scratch. The irony of this anecdote is striking—is it about promoting recycling, or ticking certification boxes? And really, is there anything more unsustainable than that?” 

Yet here we are, celebrating something that doesn’t even exist. This story encapsulates the entire paradox. It’s not about substance; it’s about spectacle. With the Sustainable Fashion Awards 25, we are not celebrating sustainability. We are celebrating its carefully branded illusion.

Want to learn how to spot the illusion?
Discover more in This is Greenwashing.

🌍 Buy the eBook (English Edition) on your favorite digital store: https://books2read.com/u/bpgxOX

The Italian Edition will be released in a few days!

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Threads of Change

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Elevating fashion with purposeful design and limited quantities


In this exploration, we delve into the threads of change, the transformative power of good design and limited quantities. Join us on a journey where fashion intersects with purpose, quality, and conscious consumption.

The British Fashion Council recently unveiled the winners of the Fashion Awards 2023, an event that celebrates the forefront of fashion and serves as a fundraiser for the BFC Foundation Charity. This gala not only spotlights creative talent but also underscores the pivotal role of fashion at the crossroads of culture and entertainment.

One of the most notable moments of the evening was the tribute to Valentino Garavani for his outstanding contribution to fashion. The celebration was marked by a spectacular fashion show featuring 24 iconic red dresses, all set against the backdrop of “An evening at the opera with Valentino.” This ballet, filmed in his hometown of Voghera, paid homage to his legacy, even dedicating the local theater to his name.
Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino’s lifetime business partner, received the award on his behalf. His interview to the Financial Times Fashion is a lesson on contemporary fashion industry.

Fashion, culture and change


In our journey through the blogging world, we’ve consistently emphasised the intrinsic connection between fashion and broader cultural themes. While this relationship might not be immediately evident to everyone, we firmly believe it exists.

Our message has been clear: fashion is not merely about an endless array of clothing and accessories. Endless catalogues with tons of options, or stores packed with clothes with the consequent need to push people to shop more and more.
Meaningful fashion, to us, embodies the principles of slow fashion, handcrafted garments, precise tailoring, and, above all, limited quantities. This approach isn’t just an aesthetic choice; it’s the cornerstone of sustainability within the fashion industry.

It’s crucial to distinguish true sustainability from what often amounts to greenwashing. In fact, brands or stores claiming sustainability while continuing to overproduce garments are missing the mark entirely.

However, reflecting on Giancarlo Giammetti‘s recent interview in the Financial Times resonates deeply with us. His sentiments echo the very challenges we face in today’s culture, which seems distant from this vision.

Giammetti’s words, particularly, strike a chord:

“We left because the industry changed and meetings were all about money, not design. Sales forecasts decided what got created. The conglomerates made each label work to the same model. We couldn’t launch today. If we did, we’d be doing slow fashion, inviting fewer people to buy, at the highest quality. You don’t have to be judged on the number of dresses you make. And sustainability must be everyone’s preoccupation right now.”

via Financial Times Fashion
Giancarlo Giammetti

In fact, our radical fashion proposition and business model sometimes feel demotivating in a world fixated on overconsumption. But Giammetti’s stance is a comforting reminder. Indeed, it reaffirms our belief: embracing a model based on good design, quality and limited quantity.

These threads of change are a pivotal shift towards a more conscious and sustainable fashion industry. Embracing this ethos isn’t merely a choice; it’s a statement—a commitment to crafting a better, more responsible future through our fashion choices.

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