More often than not, men who attend the Met Gala are guilty of doing the bare minimum when it comes to the theme. But if there’s one person we can count on to understand the assignment, it’s Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Showing his counterparts how it’s done, Lewis made his fifth Met Gala appearance on Monday in a custom all-black Burberry look that paid homage to this year’s theme in more ways than one.
The dress code for the event was “The Garden of Time,” inspired by a J.G. Ballard short story of the same name, and the British Formula 1 legend used the opportunity to honor the first Black gardeners in the UK — namely, John Ystumllyn.
“What I love about the Met, and what Anna [Wintour] does with the Met, is that I’m able to really deep dive into the theme,” Lewis told Vogue on the red carpet, explaining the inspiration behind his outfit.
With the help of his stylist, Eric McNeal, and Burberry’s Daniel Lee, Lewis paid homage to “the legacy of John Ystumllyn and the beauty of his work” with the floral embellishments on his jacket, and stitched inside the all-black ensemble was an Alex Wharton poem titled “The Gardener,” which is inspired by Ystumllyn’s life in Wales.
In a way that others often don’t, Lewis expressed to Vogue how important it is to him to embrace the theme, and over on X, fans wasted no time before praising his “dedication, attention to details, and creativity.”
Of course, Lewis is no stranger to making a statement at the Met. In 2021, he memorably purchased an entire table at the event to platform Black creatives who wouldn’t have otherwise been invited, using his star power to give emerging talent the chance to shine.