Next Met Gala chairs: Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky and LeBron James

NEW YORK (AP) — The theme of the next Met Gala and its celebrity chairs have been announced: Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky and LeBron James will help the museum launch an exhibit examining Black style over the centuries.

Williams and Hamilton were on hand Wednesday morning to help officials at the Metropolitan Museum Art announce “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the spring exhibit that will be launched by the Met Gala on May 5. The specific dress code for the gala — usually tailored specifically to the exhibit's theme — will be announced early next year.

Museum director Max Hollein said the exhibit, which will run for six months, would explore “the importance of sartorial style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora," and would celebrate “the power of style as a democratic tool for rejecting stereotypes and accessing new possibilities.”

Hamilton, the Formula 1 star, gave poignant remarks on how fashion became a way of expressing his identity.

When he was young, Hamilton said, “I was forced to conform. From my daily routine down to what I wore. My routine was rigid. And as the only Black kid on the racing track, there was no one like me to look up to.”

Later in life, he said, "I started to express myself more creatively and more specifically, through fashion. Finding my identity in how I dressed. This was a huge positive change."

“I know the power of representation and how fashion can be a vehicle to help push diversity forward and celebrate our differences,” Hamilton added. “I’m excited to celebrate Black history ... and to show that inclusion and creativity go hand in hand.

Also present was Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who oversees the gala and will also serve as co-chair. James will serve as honorary chair, the others as co-chairs.

The show is curated, as always, by Andrew Bolton, the chief curator at the Met's Costume Institute. Serving as guest curator is Monica Miller, whose book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity” inspired the show.

The Met Gala red carpet is always one of the biggest pop culture spectacles of the year with stars like Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Billy Porter and Rihanna wearing outfits tailored to the night’s theme. It is also a huge fundraiser: Last year's gala raised more than $26 million, a record and an enormous sum for such an event.

The Associated Press