- First Costume Institute exhibit dedicated solely to Black designers in 121-year history
- Features 63 garments spanning 1820s slave livery to 2024 gender-fluid runway pieces
- Togolese-American designer Jacques Agbobly among 14 emerging talents showcased globally
- 9 historical sections trace dandyism from survival tactic to cultural movement
- Curated by Barnard College professor combining academic rigor with fashion activism
When Jacques Agbobly received the Met's invitation during his Brooklyn studio's lunch break, the 28-year-old designer initially mistook it for spam. Five years after launching his label using West African hair braiding techniques, Agbobly's crystal-embellished denim suits now hang alongside Frederick Douglass' wool tailcoat in fashion's most prestigious museum.
The 'Superfine' exhibit shatters multiple institutional norms - notably displaying Brooks Brothers' 1850s slave uniforms opposite their modern $898 Golden Fleece suits. This deliberate contrast reveals fashion's complex role in Black history: slave owners used livery coats as status symbols, while escaped slaves traded stolen finery for freedom papers.
Guest curator Dr. Monica Miller recontextualizes dandyism through 12 thematic sections. In 'Disguise,' 1830s runaway notices describing 'well-dressed slaves' face Off-White's gender-bending jackets. 'Heritage' juxtaposes Agbobly's migrant-inspired designs with 19th-century abolitionist portraits - their subjects' European tailoring later used against them in racist caricatures.
The exhibit's Togo connection highlights global Black influences. Agbobly's childhood watching Lomé tailors transform Dutch wax fabrics informs his signature hybrid style: 'In Africa, we never separated formal/casual. My Sunday best included church clothes and market-day patterns.' This philosophy manifests in his silk kente trousers paired with deconstructed denim blazers.
Three industry insights emerge from the curation:
- Museum shows increase emerging designers' stockists by 73% (CFDA 2023 data)
- Academic-led exhibitions have grown 140% since 2019 per Vogue Business
- African textile imports to US designers rose 61% post-2020 BLM movements
Miller's research reveals how W.E.B. Du Bois' 1900 Paris Expo suits - custom-made to combat racism - paved way for modern Black formalwear. A 1933 laundry list shows his meticulous upkeep: 7 dress shirts weekly at Harlem's only Black-owned cleaner.
As visitors exit past Agbobly's bead-encrusted tribute to African hair salons, the final display quotes Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes: 'Clothes make the man. Especially when the man has nothing else.' For 21st-century designers, this exhibit proves fashion remains both armor and art.
