League of Legends fans are creating their own Met Gala event

League of Legends is a deep game — with one hundred and fifty champions, books of lore, events, tournaments, and esports. But one group of fans is approaching the game’s cast from an entirely different angle. Rift Gala is an initiative that aims to create a fashion-forward experience. League of Legends fans, and seeing how the game’s enormous cast looks in a variety of high-end styles via the power of fan art. This art will be made available to everyone this weekend via social media and is currently being planned and coordinated over Discord.

Met Gala is an annual fundraising event held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The inspiration for the Rift Gala came from that. Met Gala features high-fashion attire that is tailored to one theme. Industry experts, models and actors as well as other influential people, attend in elaborate gowns. Themes are pretty open-ended — ranging from “Heavenly Bodies” to “Camp” — resulting in a wild, unpredictable array of avant garde looks.

Were players dressed up to play? League of LegendsCast, which are tied to their battle-ready attire and in-game silhouettes. Fan art has evolved into a dedicated fandom event. ChimesCollector (a Twitter user) suggested the idea. LeagueIt was organized by a fan using the handle Cosmic. RedezOfTheVoid and Cosmic are the two organizers. However, artists, fans and volunteers contributed to the capture of the live fashion experience.

Image by: @gil4nerimazeth

“Since everyone knew it was inspired by MET Gala, I originally went for a ‘Prestige’ angle, everything big, ostentatious and golden, not really focused on something and giving free reign,” Cosmic told Polygon via Twitter DM. “But it was Redez who gave the big idea to centralize on a theme, and that’s how we chose ‘Angels’ as the keyword, honing in on Catholic imagery mixed with the original ‘Prestige’ vision.”

Things started to flow easily once artists began working together on Discord. Rift Gala offers a unique experience that encourages collaboration between artists. “We found ourselves soon taking inspiration from actual Gala outfits,” says Cosmic. “From actual high fashion, from buildings, paintings, aesthetics and everything that could help the ‘religious’ vision, mixing in with a bit of Art Deco for the extra ‘Prestigious Reunion’ aesthetic.”

The group started to promote the Rift Gala and began to prepare. They are trying to make it as similar to the Met Gala experience possible. live unveiling of each costume on the group’s Twitter feed.

The Rift Gala will run from Oct. 16 through the 17th, with over 100 champions — over two thirds of the game’s roster — being shown in various high-end fashion pieces, all planned, designed, and drawn by fans who love fashion and League