The Met Gala wasn’t only a crimson carpet—it’s a runway for reinvention. And tonight, John Imah, CEO of Spree AI, didn’t simply arrive—he uploaded himself into trend historical past. Draped in a customized Sergio Hudson ensemble that was equal components heritage and high-tech precision, Imah provided a visible thesis on what it means to be “Superfine”—this yr’s theme celebrating the tailoring of Black model.
The second began in a becoming room, not a boardroom. Sergio Hudson, contemporary off increasing his model into menswear, acquired the decision. “I used to be excited. I’ve all the time needed to decorate a person for the Met,” he advised me. “John’s already a little bit of a dandy—it made sense. We didn’t simply need to replicate the theme; we needed to raise it.” Hudson wasn’t pulling from the standard temper boards. “It was all John—his tradition, his profession, his private model. That was the inspiration.”
The look? Surgical in its sharpness. A double-breasted jacket that nodded to his Nigerian lineage with delicate embroidery, paired with a sublime cane and a hat tipped simply so—extra Lagos royal than Silicon Valley CEO. “Trend is my chosen language, and tech is my craft,” Imah stated whereas preparing in his suite. “This look is a synthesis of each. It’s my mom’s class, my tradition’s satisfaction, and my very own innovation wrapped in a single.”
The tailoring wasn’t simply lower for model; it was engineered for storytelling. Inside panels of the jacket hinted at motherboard circuitry—trend and expertise talking in the identical syntax. “We talked about legacy,” Hudson recalled. “About who he’s, the place he comes from, and what he’s constructing. That formed each sew.”
And whereas most tech bros persist with hoodies and hypebeast sneakers, Imah’s Met second was a declaration: Black males in tech deserve glamour too. “As I stroll up these steps, I’m considering of each younger Black inventive who hasn’t seen themselves in areas like this. We’re right here. We belong. And we’re not shrinking to slot in.”
Of their ultimate pre-carpet dialog, Imah and Hudson shared laughs, cultural recollections, and visions of the long run. “I advised Sergio about my mother mixing Ankara prints with Chanel silhouettes,” Imah stated. “He acquired it. He felt it. That’s what this outfit grew to become—a bridge between previous, current, and what’s subsequent.”
By the point the flashbulbs popped on the carpet, it was clear: this wasn’t only a GRWM. It was a masterclass in how model can honor legacy, rejoice id and predict the long run—multi function completely tailor-made second.
