SUPERFINE - A DEEP DIVE INTO BLACK DANDYISM ACROSS THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Text by Kaya Ugorji
The first Monday in May is a date marked on fashion-lovers' calendars worldwide. It is reserved every year for fashion’s biggest night: The Met Gala. This annual, haute couture charity gala hosted by the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced its theme on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Co-chairs A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and Pharrell Williams will work alongside Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour to produce this event. The theme is based on author Monica L. Miller’s Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Miller’s informative and powerful text discusses how Black people across the African diaspora, who were once slaves to fashion, manage to make fashion their slave.
Image is the cover of Monica L. Miller’s Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity
To most fashion historians, a dandy is defined as a 19th-century male figure who placed meticulous attention on his appearance, attempting to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle, while disregarding societal norms. Because the awareness of race cannot be removed entirely from perceptions of class, gender, sexuality, and nation, Miller argues that to consider a dandy’s race threatens natural aristocracy. The Black dandy’s existence alone is filled with juxtapositions. He is both hyper-masculine and feminine; he is deemed aggressively heterosexual, while simultaneously not being viewed as a real man. He is an upstanding citizen of society, while also being an outsider ostracized by that same society. He is a dark body clothed by a good suit (Miller, pg. 11).
Let's take a closer look at one of this year’s co-chairs: Colman Domingo. Domingo is an actor known for his incredible talent and impeccable style on red carpets. He is considered one of the most fashionable men in Hollywood. At the 2024 Met Gala, Domingo turned heads in a custom Willy Chavarria caped tuxedo, paying homage to fashion icons André Leon Talley and Chadwick Boseman. Domingo explained how Talley and Boseman had both previously worn capes to the Met, and with it being his first time attending, he wanted to honor the Black men who were there before him.
Domingo’s red carpet looks are always intentional. Ahead of the 2025 Golden Globes, he told GQ in an interview, “I don’t just wear clothes, I wear stories. Every time I step out, I want to be clear in the story I’m telling and what I’m representing in each moment. There’s not a moment where we don’t talk about fit or detail or tailoring, or the reasons why.” His appointment as a co-chair is fitting. As an openly gay Black man, Domingo embodies the historical context that dandyism challenges traditional notions of gender and sexuality. Dandyism has been thought to emulate a certain “queerness” in its nature. Miller describes Black dandies as queer subjects who deconstruct limiting binaries. The Black dandy can reveal much about the intersectionality of gender, race, and sexuality in building identity.
Black dandyism exposes the flimsiness of the restrictive nature society upholds. It dismantles the status quo and causes discomfort amongst those who sit comfortably in aristocracy. One may assume that the similarities between the dress of a dandy, Black or otherwise, is to mimic the upper class. However, if we view dandyism as performance or an exchange of energy, we can view it as a form of assimilation as opposed to imitation. Miller defines Black dandyism as being “designed to offer the Black performer a greater sense of mobility and creativity within the expressive form.” While Black dandyism is used as a tool of liberation, it is important to note how it is also used as a tool to push conformity.
The Harlem Renaissance was one of the most pivotal moments in fashion, its influence propelling the Black community. In the early 20th century, Harlem was known as the “New Negro Mecca,” where Black people fought against negative stereotypes through fashion and other forms of artistic representation such as music, writing, and visual arts. This was an exceptional movement in Black history. Harlem was an epicenter for the artistic achievements of Black people at the time. Defining the fashion of this “New Negro” proved to be an important task, with style having a large impact on one’s perception. In defining this visual style of the “New Negro,” there was tension between the decision to represent blackness with distinct and unique racial qualities specific to Black culture, or a more global, cosmopolitan representation of the new style of Black culture. In either depiction, it was clear that this look was an important aspect of this movement. This would lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement by emphasizing a sense of pride within the Black community and placing a spotlight on the richness and significance of Black culture within American society.
Black dandyism and fashioning Black identity in American society can be traced back as early as the transatlantic slave trade. During the times of chattel slavery in the United States, in some cases, enslaved communities would dress up on Sundays for church. This notion of wearing one’s “Sunday’s best” to church has been passed down through generations. In a conversation with my aunt, she recalled growing up in Grenada, where the neighborhood baker, typically seen in a white apron, would be at church on Sunday morning dressed in his best suit. The communities in the Caribbean are so tight-knit that everyone would certainly know who tailored the suit.
The artisans and tailors in our close communities must be included in the recognition of Black dandyism, because it is these individuals who adorn us in our everyday lives. In Caribbean culture, men are no strangers to intentional attire, often being referred to as a “saga bwoy.” While the Oxford dictionary equates this term with a playboy, my Grenadian mother explained, “When it is used at home, it describes a man who looks good and dresses well.” Emerging in the 1930s, the “saga bwoy” described a subculture of rebellious and fashionable men in the Caribbean. He has an eclectic sense of style, donning loads of prints, colors, and gold. Most importantly, he is a ladies’ man; his sense of style enhances his braggadocio.
Let’s take a look at Central Africa. In the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, there is a group of dandies known as sapeurs or SAPE, which stands for Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes, which translates to “Society of Entertainers and Elegant People.” They are extraordinarily dapper individuals who wear designer clothing, showcasing a sense of luxury and elegance within Congo. Originating as a form of protest and resistance against French and Belgian colonialism in the 1920s, this subculture grew in Congo in the 1970s.
Congolese singer Papa Wemba popularized the style of the sapeur in the 1960s and 1970s, and today, sapeurs are well respected within Congolese culture. Through their fashion, they signify social activism, peace, hope, and joy. In times of violence and conflict within Congo, they can represent civility, as it is unlikely to see a sapeur be violent or fight.
Women also participate in this tradition. In 2013, singer-songwriter Solange highlighted the sapeurs of Congo in a music video for her song “Losing You,” donning a colorful suit and dancing alongside them. In Congo, a woman sapeur is known as a sapeuse, and interestingly enough, they wear men’s clothing. The subversion and deconstruction of gender tropes are relatively consistent within dandyism across the diaspora.
Image from “The Dandizette” by Kaya Ugorji, featuring Iniobong Roberts, Italy 2023
This rejection of the binary is a characteristic of dandyism that I find to be increasingly present in women’s fashion. Today, the subversion of silhouettes and aesthetics associated with gender is a rising “punk” subculture in women’s spaces, similar to the sapeuses of Congo. In 2023, I explored this concept through a photoshoot titled “The Dandizette” where I was the photographer, stylist, and creative director. In the shoot, I intentionally styled my model in a more masculine silhouette. She wore a white button-down, slacks, and a suit jacket, accessorized with platform loafers and a tie. Dandyism challenges gender norms, and I understand the added layer of empowerment that comes with a woman in a more masculine style of dress. The female dandy’s refusal to conform to societal norms is a powerful statement. In a patriarchal society, her choice to borrow from men’s style is a visual representation of her strength. However, in the same way that one may view the style of the Black dandy as a mimicry of the aristocracy, one may view the style of the female dandy as a mimicry of patriarchy. As Miller reminds us, Black dandyism is a tool of liberation, but also conformity. I believe the same logic applies to women.
Black dandyism is a pivotal part of Black history, embodying the multitude of layers within Black culture. It showcases the incredibly stylish nature of Black men while simultaneously presenting the complexities of what it means to exist as a Black person, simply by studying how and why Black people across the diaspora choose to “dress up.” It challenges hierarchies based on gender, race, and sexuality. Understanding Black dandyism provides insight into both the Black community and the society that shapes it. It is exceptional that the 2025 Met Gala offers a grand scale to showcase this rich, layered history. My hope is that the attendees recognize this beautiful legacy, and do it justice.
