"I'm Here Now"

On the podium and in the paddock, Lewis Hamilton has revolutionized the culture of Formula 1. He reflects on what it means for a Black man to dress up, show up, and make no apologies. As told to Leah Faye Cooper.

- Leah Faye Cooper

When I learned that The Met was celebrating the Black dandy, I was a bit blown away, to be honest.

Black dandyism, the men who came before us-curator Monica L. Miller's work and how she explains this history in the exhibition "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style"-it's all so important to learn. What hit home hardest is how far back it goes, and that there are so many different ways to present as a man; you don't have to be traditionally masculine. And Black men have always had to be more excellent than our white counterparts. I've seen that with my father and with me we needed to be overachievers. That's why this theme is just so important to me.

When I was growing up outside of London, there were no museums near me, there wasn't much diversity, and there certainly wasn't any exposure to fashion.

So I lived vicariously through magazines and music videos and films. The people I looked up to-it was Muhammad Ali, it was Michael Jordan, it was Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop wearing that cool leather jacket. And then a little bit later I started to learn about Cab Calloway, James Baldwin, Nelson Mandela, and André Leon Talley. I saw how their image was so important to them, and how they presented themselves through fashion.