From ancestral cowrie shells to 20-carat diamonds, this year’s star-studded homage to Black dandyism elevated accessories from mere adornment to powerful cultural statements. Tatler discusses why representation matters through choice of jewellery and its symbolism at world events like the Met Gala 2025
Let’s talk about how the 2025 Met Gala’s Superfine: Tailoring Black Style transcended the usual red, or in this case, blue carpet parade. While the Met Gala is historically known to be the ultimate stage for most historically important personalities and their personal fashion moment, this year we witnessed a homage to Black dandyism, that remarkable tradition of elegance, resistance and identity that has shaped fashion history across the African diaspora.
But this is not the first time that the event has celebrated an important cultural moment in the fashion world. The Met Gala’s themed exhibitions have long been a stage for cultural storytelling through fashion and jewellery, transforming accessories into symbols of identity, history and representation. These themes are carefully curated to provoke dialogue about heritage, creativity and social issues, making the Gala more than a glamorous spectacle.
Take, for instance, the 2015 Met Gala theme, China: Through the Looking Glass, was a fascinating exploration of how Chinese aesthetics have influenced Western fashion for centuries, yet it also sparked complex conversations about cultural representation, with some critics pointing out the risk of perpetuating stereotypes, while others praised the celebration of Chinese influence on fashion.
Celebrities like Fan Bingbing embraced this with intricate headpieces and jade-inspired jewels that echoed Chinese imperial grandeur, while others, such as Rihanna, used their adornments to navigate the fine line between homage and appropriation. The 2015 exhibition itself, featuring over 140 haute couture and avant-garde pieces alongside Chinese art, underscored jewellery’s role as a cultural vessel, carrying motifs and craftsmanship that speak to history, identity and the power of visual narrative.
Read more: Met Gala 2025: When superfine tailoring met superfine jewels
Lewis Hamilton wearing jewellery made of cowrie shells and freshwater pearls at the Met Gala 2025 (Photo: courtesy of Michael Buckner/Penske Media via Getty Images)
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Fast forward to the 2018 Met Gala’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, where Rihanna’s appearance became a defining moment in the dialogue between faith, fashion and cultural significance. Draped in a Maison Margiela ensemble designed by John Galliano, Rihanna wore a bejewelled papal mitre and a robe embroidered with pearls and crosses, symbols deeply rooted in Catholic tradition. Yet, this was no mere costume; it was a reclamation and reinterpretation. The mitre, historically a male ecclesiastical headdress, was transformed on Rihanna into a symbol of inclusive reverence, challenging the exclusivity often associated with Catholic iconography. Her jewellery: pearls, crystals and religious motifs-served as a tactile connection to centuries of craftsmanship and spiritual symbolism, while simultaneously asserting that devotion and dignity transcend race, gender and creed. This moment highlighted jewellery’s unique power to hold and convey layered cultural meanings, inviting onlookers to reconsider the narratives embedded in luxury fashion.
This year, Met Gala co-chair Lewis Hamilton interpreted yet another important cultural theme through his choice of jewellery—Briony Raymond pieces incorporating ancestral cowrie shells, freshwater pearls and sumptuous garnet-coloured diamonds.
Ancestral cowrie shells and pearls primarily come from the Indian Ocean, with the Maldives historically being the main source. From there, they were traded extensively, reaching West Africa through trans-Saharan trade routes and European merchants. These small, glossy, porcelain-like shells became a universal form of currency and a potent symbol of wealth and power across many African societies for centuries, long before the introduction of paper money or coins.
Much like cowrie shells, pearls hold profound and multifaceted significance across many African cultures, though their symbolism. Throughout Africa, from the southern Kalahari Desert to Nigeria and Ghana, pearls have been vital in expressing social, religious and political identities. One example that comes to my mind is from the ancient Benin Kingdom, dating back to the 11th century AD. The oba (king) and his court wore elaborate pearl jewellery as a symbol of authority; losing such pearls could even carry severe consequences.
These elements, once used as currency and symbols of protection across African cultures, were masterfully reclaimed as emblems of heritage and status at the Met Gala with subtle styling cues.
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