From Chivasso to the Met Gala: The Rise of Khaby Lame 🇮🇹
Khaby Lame graces the Met Gala 2025 in New York, bringing a touch of his hometown Turin to the star-studded event.
Stepping onto the Met Gala's hallowed red carpet amidst a sea of celebrities and designer dresses, Khaby Lame, a Web-star hailing from the quaint town of Chivasso, captured global attention. This TikTok sensation claimed the crown of Italy's most popular creator in 2021, kicking off a whirlwind journey that took him from the streets of Turin to the bright lights of the Big Apple.
At the gala, Khaby flaunted a sharp three-piece Boss suit, boasting a waistcoat lined with porcelain pocket watches. This sartorial detail left quite an impression on spectators in New York and across the globe.
From Senegal to Stardom
Born in Dakar in 2000, Khaby and his family migrated to Italy as children. Growing up in Chivasso, he found his calling during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he lost his job as a workshop technician. Leveraging his natural humor, he created viral videos reacting to popular internet memes, catapulting him to international fame on TikTok in 2021.
Post-viral success, he relocated to Milan and embarked on an incredible career ascent. He graced the Venice Film Festival in 2021, then signed a partnership with Hugo Boss, representing the brand as its face. In just a couple of years, he penned a book, starred in a comic strip, collaborated with celebrities like Zlatan Ibrahimović, John Cena, and Snoop Dogg, collected an award at the European Parliament, and judged Italia's Got Talent.
His meteoric rise culminated in his debut at the prestigious Met Gala, one of the world's most exclusive events in the entertainment industry.
The Met Gala: Art, Fashion, and Philanthropy
Organized by Anna Wintour, the Met Gala is an annual, glamorous event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Celebrities, designers, artists, and influential figures from fashion, entertainment, and beyond gather to showcase outfits inspired by the Costume Institute's annual theme, raising funds for the museum in the process[1].
Black Dandyism as this Year's Theme
The theme of the 2025 Met Gala is "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," an exploration of Black dandyism and its influence on fashion throughout history[1]. This movement, active between the 18th and 20th centuries, is characterized by the use of bespoke tailoring as a means of self-expression, empowerment, and identity formation within the African diaspora[1].
Despite its focus on the empowerment and self-expression of Black men through fashion, there is no apparent connection between Khaby's journey to success and the theme of the 2025 Met Gala.
- Khaby Lame's bespoke Boss suit, showcased at the 2021 Met Gala, demonstrated a unique expression of his style, setting him apart among the sea of celebrities.
- Recently, Khaby Lame's social-media fame has transcended entertainment and expanded into various collaborations with celebrities like Zlatan Ibrahimović, John Cena, and Snoop Dogg.
- Contrastingly, the focus of the 2025 Met Gala is on Black dandyism, a historical movement characterized by the use of bespoke tailoring for empowerment and identity formation within the African diaspora.
- While Khaby's rise to fame originated in Italy, his viral TikTok videos and subsequent collaborations with global celebrities have made him a champion of social-media entertainment, averting any direct connection to this year's Met Gala theme.
