Every year on the first Monday in May, celebrities walk down the Fifth Avenue red carpet in their most avant-garde attire to the Met Gala, one of the fashion world’s biggest events. Hosted by The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the event is renowned for its thought-provoking dress codes, public costume changes, star-studded guest list — and, most importantly, for celebrating artistry.

This year’s exhibit theme —  inspired by guest curator Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity” — is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. It explores the relationship between sartorial style and the formation of Black identity in the Atlantic diaspora. The dress code for the May 5 gala is “tailored for you,” an homage to the exhibit’s focus on suiting and menswear.

Shamya Banks, a fashion studies student at Columbia College Chicago and 2025 Virgil Abloh Post-Modern scholar, sees the theme as “a great demonstration of Black history as American history.”

“We have a history here, a rich history, a diverse history, a multi-faceted history,” Banks  said. “It doesn’t have to be just caveated to Black History Month or Juneteenth. There is life and celebration that exists beyond those two moments and those two months.” It’s refreshing to see,” she continued.

Banks didn’t always have a word for this style but now sees Black dandyism’s prevalence in childhood memories. She recalls, for instance, her uncle spending hours showing her his outfits for church where he “matches the feather on his hat to the kerchief and the socks and shoelaces.”

She reflects on the reasons Black men began dressing in the sophisticated and fashionable way of dandies. For some it was an act of rebellion.  For others, it was about assimilation.  

Banks finds connection in her own work because she explores themes of “autonomy” and the “right to express yourself in the world that you live in.”

Her design work and style, which she describes as “airy,” finds inspiration in a multitude of styles and media. She feels drawn to home design and pottery, and her experience as a hairstylist led her to create her brand, SB Myndful, where she sells hair accessories and tote bags. 

Her aesthetic spark also draws from nature, “but not just like, ‘Oh, being outside and the seasons coming and going.’ It’s about the interconnectedness,” Banks said.

“I think of myself as an alchemist in the sense of design, because I can take so many different ingredients and, seemingly, different topics and really fuse them all together. And that’s what nature does as well.”

Banks recently debuted her first apparel design collection, “Mama Saturn,” which she said explores “navigating time through the use of nature’s cyclical wisdom.” 

“It attempts to establish the synergy between winter menstruation and emotional nurturing through the context of ancestry and astrology,” Banks said. 

Banks included a blend of men’s and women’s wear. She focused on fit and finishing to showcase her technical abilities.

She appreciates designs that are “intentional and made with purpose” and has “a lot of respect for time-honored crafts.” She said her Columbia College education is helping her hone her ability to craft and tailor well-made clothing.

Reyes Witt, assistant professor of inclusive design practices, digital pattern-making and adaptive fashion at Columbia is proud of Banks’s work. 

“Banks has always possessed the poise and maturity of an industry professional,” something she noticed over their three years working together.

Janae Reid, a Columbia fashion studies alumna, had the opportunity to work with Banks during their work together at an Anthropologie Black History Month event. She was able to gain firsthand insight into Banks’s product design process for SB Myndful.

“Shamya showed me through her artwork, her philosophies and her own creations how to view the beauty in the world,” Reid said. “Her background of cosmetology, her love of nature and her innate ability to absorb knowledge is commendable and needs to be respected.”

At the moment, Banks finds herself in a period of rest and absorption as she focuses on her education and honing her craft technique. 

“I’m in celebration mode because I worked really hard last year in getting scholarships done and collections designed, and so now I’m just enjoying the fruit of my labor and getting new inspiration,” Banks said.

Banks thinks the gala was “marvelous” this year. She was particularly excited to see first Met gala designs from Wales Bonner and Hanifa. “My fellow Kansas enby, Janelle Monae, always shows out,” said Banks. 

“Black artistry, creativity, and joy is always a worthy celebration,” Banks said of the overall event.

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