League of Legends fans are creating their own Met Gala event

League of Legends it’s a deep game, with 150 champions, history books, events, tournaments, and esports. But a group of fans is approaching the game’s cast from a completely different angle. The Rift Gala is a project focused on creating a haute couture experience for League of Legends fans, and see what the game’s huge cast looks like in a variety of high-end styles through the power of fan art. That art is being coordinated and planned through Discord, and will be released to the public this coming weekend on social media.

The Rift Gala was inspired by the Met Gala, the annual fundraising benefit held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met Gala is haute couture tailored to a theme, and industry experts, actors, models and other influencers show up in elaborate dresses and outfits. The themes are quite open, ranging from “Heavenly Bodies” to “Camp,” resulting in a wild and unpredictable variety of avant-garde styles.

So why do players dress up League of Legends cast, who are chained to their in-game silhouettes and battle-ready attire? This fan art event has become a dedicated fandom project. A Twitter user named ChimesCollector suggested the project, and another League The fan with the Cosmic handle began to organize it. Cosmic and RedezOfTheVoid are two of the event organizers, but artists, fans, and volunteers have contributed to capture the live fashion experience for the fantasy characters.

Image: @ gil4nerimazeth

“Since everyone knew I was inspired by MET Gala, I originally went for a ‘Prestige’ angle, everything big, flashy and gold, not really focused on something and unleashing,” Cosmic told Polygon via Twitter DM. “But it was Redez who came up with the great idea to centralize a theme, and that’s how we chose ‘Angels’ as the keyword, perfecting the Catholic imagery mixed with the original vision of ‘Prestige.’

Once the artists started collaborating on Discord, things started to flow smoothly. The Rift Gala is a cooperative experience, in which everyone tries to improve their own game and help other artists in the process. “We soon found ourselves drawing inspiration from actual Gala outfits,” says Cosmic. “From today’s haute couture, from the buildings, the paintings, the aesthetics and everything else that can help the ‘religious’ vision, mixing with a bit of Art Deco for the added aesthetic of the ‘Prestigious Reunion’.”

From there, the group began to spread the word and prepare for the Rift Gala. The team is trying to create something as close to the Met Gala experience as possible, including a live performance of each costume on the group’s Twitter account.

The Rift Gala will take place October 16-17, with over 100 champions, more than two-thirds from the game roster, to be displayed in various high-end fashion pieces, all planned, designed and drawn by fans. who love fashion and League.