High fashion stood at the very center of the BET Awards 2025, not as an accessory but as the heartbeat of the night. The entire ceremony was drenched in Black creativity, but it was high fashion that turned the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles into a living runway. From the carpet to the stage, from the winners to the performers, high fashion was everywhere—shaping the narrative, demanding attention, and transforming the awards into a revolution of beauty and brilliance.
The BET Awards have always been a cultural touchstone, but in 2025, high fashion elevated it to something larger: a spectacle of defiance, identity, and unapologetic artistry. This wasn’t just a show—it was a movement. Every gown, suit, cape, and crown told a story. Every performance echoed a legacy. Every word spoken reminded the world that when Black brilliance meets high fashion, culture doesn’t just sparkle—it dominates.
The Carpet Was a Revolution
The carpet at the BET Awards 2025 was unlike anything we’ve seen before. It wasn’t just red—it was a canvas for high fashion to roar unapologetically. Think of the Met Gala dialing Wakanda, then adding an unapologetic burst of futurism. The result? A collision of tradition, imagination, and spectacle.
Celebrities arrived in high fashion ensembles that spoke louder than words. Metallic gowns sculpted like armor reflected power. Beaded silhouettes whispered ancestral pride. Futuristic tailoring with African motifs showed that heritage and innovation weren’t rivals but partners. This was high fashion as resistance, as pride, as declaration.
From the moment Angela Bassett stepped out in a shimmering gown woven with Yoruba-inspired beadwork to when Janelle Monáe arrived in a structured, futuristic suit that looked like it came from a 2075 runway, the carpet pulsed with meaning. Each look became a thesis statement, each walk down the carpet a manifesto.
And then Beyoncé and Blue Ivy—both wrapped in high fashion dripping with gold—turned the carpet into their kingdom. Their mother-daughter brilliance wasn’t just a look. It was legacy personified.
Kevin Hart and the Tone of the Night
As high fashion dazzled outside, Kevin Hart brought sharp wit and sharper commentary inside. His monologue cut through the tension of celebrity scandals but landed every punchline with truth. He roasted Diddy’s lawsuits, Kanye’s chaotic career pivots, and Cardi B’s courtroom sagas, but he didn’t stay on jokes alone.
Hart knew the moment demanded both comedy and respect. “We used to have beef in bars; now y’all beef on TikTok with lace fronts and lawyers,” he cracked, sending waves of laughter through the audience. The applause after wasn’t just for the humor—it was for the honesty. It set the stage for a night where high fashion, music, and storytelling all collided with raw authenticity.
Performances Mixed With Power
If the carpet was a manifesto, the performances were pure revolution. High fashion didn’t stay confined to photo ops—it spilled onto the stage.
GloRilla opened with “Let Her Cook,” and the set transformed into a surreal kitchen-dance hybrid. She strutted in high fashion leather armor with flames licking the stage around her. Midway, Keyshia Cole joined her, debuting their new track “Typa,” blending powerhouse vocals with an aesthetic drenched in high fashion glamour.
The night then turned nostalgic. The 25th anniversary of 106 & Park brought Ashanti, Amerie, Mýa, T.I., Bow Wow, and B2K back together. Their medley of early-2000s hits had the crowd screaming like teenagers again. Ashanti’s glittering high fashion gown shimmered as she sang “Foolish,” and in that moment, time folded—every sparkle was memory.
Lil Wayne’s thunderous performance of “Welcome to Tha Carter” and “A Milli” proved high fashion wasn’t limited to gowns. His leather ensemble, paired with a gospel choir dressed in futuristic robes, reminded us that fashion can dress even the grit of rap in divine brilliance.
Then came Mariah Carey. She turned the Peacock Theater into a sanctuary, debuting “Type Dangerous” in a crystal-encrusted high fashion gown that caught every light like stained glass. Later, when she accepted her first BET Award, her words shimmered with the same power as her gown: “Be a diva. Be a boss. Be legendary—and be iconic while you’re doing it.”
And finally, Kirk Franklin closed the night in a high fashion suit that looked like Sunday morning glory mixed with Friday night shine. His gospel revival set, joined by Muni Long and Tamar Braxton, felt less like a performance and more like a church service shaking the very rafters of Los Angeles.
The Statement
This year, high fashion wasn’t background—it was the story. It wasn’t worn to impress; it was worn to declare. Each designer, each stitch, each choice of fabric was intentional. Black stars didn’t just wear high fashion—they weaponized it.
African designers shined alongside global couture houses. Nigerian beadwork sat next to Parisian tailoring. South African futurism stood boldly beside New York minimalism. Together, the looks stitched a global map of Black identity that refused to be silenced.
Janelle Monáe’s structured silver suit screamed futurism, while Lupita Nyong’o’s gown, embroidered with Maasai patterns, screamed heritage. Together, they showed high fashion doesn’t have to choose between past and future. It can hold both at once.
And then there was Zendaya—arriving in a gown made entirely of recycled African textiles. Her high fashion choice wasn’t just glamorous, it was sustainable rebellion. It was proof that fashion can heal as much as it dazzles.
The Winners’ Voices
Awards carried the night, but the speeches carried the weight.
• Kendrick Lamar, draped in minimalist high fashion, won five trophies. His Album of the Year speech summed up the night: “This is for the storytellers who refuse to water it down.”
• Doechii, crowned Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, paired her bold words with a high fashion gown cut like armor. She condemned ICE raids in Los Angeles, naming oppression as it stood. The room’s silence gave way to thunderous applause.
• Leon Thomas won Best New Artist, performing “Mutt” in a high fashion leather suit that hugged identity and rebellion. Turning to his mother, he said: “You believed in me when I didn’t. I hope this makes up for every missed bill and every overcooked dinner.” The whole theater cried.
• Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, and Kirk Franklin became Ultimate Icons. Foxx’s tearful recounting of his 2023 health scare hit deeply, while Snoop poetically recalled hearing Mariah in prison: “Your voice made us feel free before we were free.”
• SZA and Chris Brown held down R&B, while Future & Metro Boomin proved the new generation’s power.
• And then Blue Ivy Carter, radiant in high fashion crafted for a princess, claimed the YoungStars Award. Holding her mother’s hand, she turned the carpet into a coronation of the future.
Imperfections That Still Mattered
The In Memoriam segment stretched long—almost twenty minutes—but its intention mattered more than its pacing. Honoring Tina Turner, Clarence Avant, and Tyler James Williams with dignity meant that the BET Awards 2025 wasn’t just about glitter. It was about grounding brilliance in remembrance. High fashion and high memory walked side by side, reminding everyone that beauty always comes from legacy.
The BET Awards 2025 as Cultural Blueprint
The BET Awards 2025 wasn’t just an event—it was blueprint, testimony, prophecy. High fashion became both shield and megaphone. The stage became protest and pulpit. The performances became healing rituals.
Every detail reminded us that high fashion is not superficial—it is soulful. It carries centuries of memory, defiance, and aspiration. This year, high fashion wasn’t about looking good for the cameras. It was about speaking truth to the world without saying a word.
The Power of Black Brilliance
By the time Kirk Franklin’s final notes reverberated through the theater, it was clear: the BET Awards 2025 was not a night to remember, it was a night that will define. High fashion didn’t play a supporting role—it led. It crowned the winners, dressed the protests, and amplified the brilliance of Black artistry.
The lesson was undeniable. Black culture doesn’t follow fashion—it is fashion. Black brilliance doesn’t borrow spotlight—it creates it. High fashion doesn’t just belong on runways in Paris or Milan—it belongs in the heart of culture, where it thrives most: on stages like the BET Awards 2025.
And in the end, what the world witnessed wasn’t just entertainment. It was revolution in sequins, protest in gowns, testimony in tailored suits. High fashion and Black brilliance didn’t just dominate—they defined the future.
