MIT Gala by Ankita D. '23

Infinite is a student-run magazine and group dedicated to the creation, discussion, and appreciation of fashion. Since its launch in 2018, it has released an issue once per semester with full-page spreads on a variety of topics. Usually, the release of each issue has been marked by a magazine hand-out at the student center, but this year, the board chose to take a different approach, hosting an entire event to celebrate Issue 11. The Gala was the first Infinite event of this scale, featuring an art gallery and fashion show and bringing multiple groups together to celebrate arts at MIT.

Put together over the course of the year by a team of Infinite members and affiliates, the Gala featured 34 looks from 20 designers and showcased Issue 11’s ten spreads. The spreads, which you can check out here, range from explorations of South Asian identity to studies in generative design.  The 200 Gala attendees had the opportunity to see these looks come to life in the runway show, and additional designers had the chance to share their work as well. Even those not modeling or designing could experiment and engage with fashion since the dress code was “formal or fashion statement.” This helped make the Gala feel like a unique and welcoming environment for students seeking greater arts visibility on campus.

MIT Gala was conceived from a simple desire to commemorate the magazine’s release with an event much bigger than a casual handout. Beyond spreading awareness about Infinite, it was a definite success, given that it sold out, cohesively combined talent from a range of student groups, and inspired interest in arts at MIT.

Running any sort of large event at MIT is hard. Besides the actual event planning, there’s a lot of hoops you have to jump through, such as security, room reservations, and safety plans. Even with years of detailed instructions on how to set up events, some organizations I’ve been a part of have struggled a lot. That’s why I’m impressed how the MIT Gala board was able to make everything run smoothly in their first iteration of the event. It took a lot of coordination from the board, which consisted of 12 students from all classes.

MIT Gala had a several thousand dollar budget, quite a bit of which went to the printing of the magazines. This was incredible because they’re really expensive, but could be handed out for free at the event. I think it’s great that the Gala enabled more students to have access to the magazines—in my experience, many more people were talking about the issue this semester than in the past.

For a first-time event, it’s crucial that there’s a significant amount of pubbing done weeks in advance. Unsurprisingly, the designers killed it. I’ll let the content speak for itself.

At the beginning of the event, attendees had the chance to explore the art gallery, which featured independent works from students and projects from classes. It had a wide range of mediums and was an amazing opportunity to showcase student work.

The highlight of the event for me, though, was the fashion show, which featured models wearing works designed by MIT students and Boston creators. It was a whole affair—it took a ton of work from models, designers, stylists, and runway directors to be a success.

I signed up to model since I’ve had great experiences modeling for Infinite in the past. I thought it would be pretty casual, so I was taken aback to find out how well-coordinated as it was. It started with the models gathering in the Burton Conner dance studio to practice their walks and poses for the runway. As someone not engaged whatsoever with the fashion world, I didn’t realize how much work goes into walking, so I was a bit out of my element; even though I’m a dancer, I felt like my body was not cooperating. I knew it would take quite a bit of refinement to get to a place I was comfortable with, and adding 5-inch heels to the equation could only make the task more perilous.

We headed to the Porter Room to practice walking on the runway, where a designer with runway experience was there to critique us. A track was playing to help guide the 8-counts we’d be walking and posing on, and the designer told us where to look, how to pause for the camera, and everything else, down to the last detail. After several run-throughs, I felt like I wouldn’t embarrass myself, and left to start getting ready.

Thanks to a team of lovely stylists who graciously volunteered to help with the event, the models’ hair and makeup were done in accordance with their stylists’ vision. My designer wanted a natural/basic look for me, so I thought I’d be able to do my own makeup, but my stylist did a way better job than I ever could. Figures.

I’m really grateful the process was organized from start to finish. The runway director and designers made sure there was no confusion on my part, and the only concern I had became the outfit I’d be wearing. It was a pretty huge concern, in fact. I had limited communication with my designer, the founder of Boston Fashion Week, so I didn’t know how I’d be styled. I knew I was wearing the Science Surface collection, which is on display at the Koch building, but I had no conception of how those clothes would work on me. The designer also had another event that day, so he arrived quite late (four minutes before the show started). He ended up tying the scarves from the collection on me and the other models, which was done in about 30 seconds. I had my reservations about it, since it felt humiliating to be wearing just a singular piece of cloth, but it ended up looking fine, albeit not as complex as some of the other fits.

Walking was a crazy experience. My friends did their utmost to catcall me so I’d lose character, but I didn’t break character, trip in my heels, or otherwise humiliate myself. Even though the ordeal only lasted a few minutes, the lighting and music made it feel legit; the runway was lined with red LEDs, courtesy of E33 Productions, and MIT Laptop Ensemble played the synths that helped the models time their walking and posing.

Even though the show took a lot of hours out of my day, I was grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a dope experience. I loved spending time with the models and designers, and it was great to hear my friends cheering me on in the audience. Also, when I wasn’t modeling, I took advantage of the catering and photo booth, so I’d say it was a 10/10 event.

MIT Gala was a huge success. It’s amazing that the event could take talent from so many different groups to showcase how vibrant the arts community is at MIT. Arts isn’t at the forefront of many students’ minds, so it’s incredible that MIT Gala could centralize various facets of art on campus and create a space that fosters connections between creative students. Not only was the event helpful for introducing people to Infinite, but for encouraging people to explore different avenues of engaging in art on campus.

While the future of this event is uncertain, I have no doubt that it will evolve to be even more wonderful. I’m excited to see how it grows and can’t wait to see what Infinite does next!

for more information on Infinite, check out this amazing post by Gosha and Kidist!