TORLOWEI KAFTAN WORN BY ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY TO APPEAR AT MET COSTUME EXHIBIT

Nigerian British luxury fashion house Torlowei announced that the Reversible Cotton and Silk Dupion Kaftan, worn by the late André Leon Talley, will be exhibited in Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the Costume Institute’s 2025 exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which will run from May 10 to October 26, 2025, at The Met Fifth Avenue in New York City.

The kaftan, designed in 2019 by Patience Torlowei, Torlowei’s Founder and Creative Director, was acquired by The Met during Christie’s 2023 auction of The Collection of André Leon Talley. The piece sold for USD $8,820, surpassing its estimated value of $3,000-$5,000.

The one-of-a-kind kaftan is reversible with the outer side striped in printed cotton and stitched together in a meticulous process that Torlowei refers to as “pieces” – a technique Patience Torlowei developed to reuse leftover materials from her atelier. The inner lining is made of silk dupion and adorned with velvet tape and a combination of leather laces from previous projects. Each side of the garment reflects a distinct chapter in both Torlowei’s evolution as a designer and the brand’s journey, from its founding in 2017 to its current global acclaim. The kaftan is a testament to Torlowei’s sustainable ethos: elegant, handcrafted fashion with zero waste.

“When the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute announced the theme of the 2025 Met Gala, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, honoring the legacy of the Black Dandy, my mind immediately wandered to the memory of my late friend André,” said Patience Torlowei.

“The impact he had on the world of fashion is well known – a student of the school of Vreeland. But the role he played in the story of TORLOWEI was deeply personal. He was an angel sent to me that afternoon in Lagos, when I felt unseen and uncertain about the future. He didn’t notice me, he noticed my work – a silk camisole worn by my daughter, Moji.

“We connected over our shared love for broderie anglaise and dreamed of designing a kaftan collection together. I miss him—his wisdom, his eye for quality, his generosity. A truly good man.”

The friendship between Patience Torlowei and André Leon Talley began in April 2019 during Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, where Naomi Campbell personally invited Talley. After admiring one of TORLOWEI’s designs, the two connected, sparking a meaningful relationship grounded in creative exchange. Talley would later wear a custom Torlowei agbada and feature Torlowei in his acclaimed memoir The Chiffon Trenches.

He also hosted an intimate dinner in her honor in New York City, attended by fashion insiders including Tonne Goodman, Robin Givhan, and Sharon Chuter. One of the evening’s highlights was the celebration of Torlowei’s Esther Dress – the first piece of couture ever included in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art permanent collection.