Looking back on last year’s Met Gala theme.
Published: January 2026
I was born and raised in Montreal, a city full of quiet elegance and rich cultural energy.
However, my roots trace back to the Republic of Congo, where my parents immigrated from, bringing with them the spirit of la Sapologie. From an early age, I understood that fashion was more than clothing.
It was pride, resistance, and storytelling. La Sape taught me that style could be an act of self-creation and defiance. Black Dandyism, as Monica Miller describes in Slaves to Fashion, carries that same tradition: transforming fashion into a powerful form of agency and self-love. It’s not about mimicking, it’s about reclaiming, revising, and radiating identity on our own terms. As fashion runs through my blood, I am proud to share a project close to my heart, a short film I directed that reimagines the Met Gala 2025 theme “Tailored for You.”
The visual narrative follows six Black men across a single day in Montreal, each one expressing a unique interpretation of Dandyism. As they move through Black-owned spaces across the city, their styles shift and evolve, showing how elegance can be a tool of identity, rebellion, and self-love.
Each look is intentional. Each location is Black-owned. Each scene is a tribute to the beauty, complexity, and cultural power of Black expression.
This project is my love letter to the men who inspire me: those whose style speaks before they do and who carry history, elegance and dignity in every step.
With love and gratitude,
Mazarine Solen
Creative Director at Core Vizuals
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Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity by Monica L. Miller