Bold looks, big talent: art and fashion shine at the 2025 MIT Gala & Student Arts Showcase
The third iteration of this event continues to deliver
Michelle Xiang–The Tech
Michelle Xiang–The Tech
The height of fashion and art
Attendees buzzed excitedly as they entered the MIT Gala & Student Arts Showcase, hosted on the sixth floor of the Media Lab — which was to be expected, since the last iteration of the event was a phenomenal crowd-pleaser. To the left, the organizers set up a beautiful charcuterie grazing table. Of course, art was the centerpiece. Attendees — many of them from outside the MIT community — wandered about, excitedly discussing the art with each other and the respective artists. Live music by MIT jazz musicians helped set the scene and situate everyone among the beautiful work on display, ranging from photography (by Eleanor Li ’27) to penwork (by Alex Zhao ’28) to 3D printed interactive marble machines (by Luke Haws ’28) and much more.
This year’s MIT Gala marked a major milestone: its debut in the Media Lab. “[This space] just made the event feel so official,” MIT Gala Director Haydn Long ’26 said. The changes in venue across the years — from the Burton-Conner Porter Room to the the Student Center Lobdell Dining Hall to the Media Lab — reflects the event’s growing scale, influence, and sheer ambition. While the MIT Gala originally served as a launch party for the annual release of the Infinite Magazine, it has since branched off into its own celebration of art and fashion. “It felt like we were really solidifying ourselves as a core piece of the arts community [at MIT],” Long noted.
The art gallery: infused with stories and meaning
It was immediately evident that all the artwork at the MIT Gala was carefully thought out and held personal significance to each artist. For example, Shreeya Parekh ’26 embroidered a peacock onto a fast-fashion shirt using Gujarati mirror work, seamlessly blending her heritage with modern fashion. To Parekh, they symbolized “joy” on a deeper level. Not “happiness, which is very temporary,” she clarified. “Joy is more intentional, and it lasts longer.” Parekh emphasized the importance of finding joy in times of adversity, referencing the classical Indian motif of a peacock dancing in the rain.
Two tables away, Yitong Tseo, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computational and Systems Biology, presented an array of creations centered on organic materials, from traditional clay pots to homemade ocarina-like instruments using compressed air to salt blocks shaped by cows themselves. The cows “made this beautiful shape,” Yitong said, and he believed they made it because it’s good.” With this work, Yitong aimed to challenge the idea that humans are the sole creators of beautiful art, inviting viewers to see art as a collaboration and co-creation between humans and the rest of the natural world.
Situated in the corner, Bianchi Dy, a Masters of City Planning candidate, echoed the value in seeing art as a collaboration instead of an independent, isolated creation. She created a large corkboard map of the Boston-Cambridge area and asked viewers to do one thing: using string and push pins, map out your last late-night trip. Inspired by an experience returning home from a bar, Dy became intrigued by people’s “choice to travel even when we don’t feel safe.” She excitedly noted that the MIT community at the Gala was the perfect place to demo this interactive project, as attendees would be “generous” with their curiosity and willing to contribute to a collective artwork.
Dedication to fashion
At 7:00 p.m., attendees quickly sat down inside the Media Lab. Suddenly, jumping up from front-row seats, dancers from Mocha Moves and Ridonkulous opened up the show with a lively performance and stylish outfits, earning loud applause. Then, the MIT Laptop Ensemble set up a rhythmic beat to complement the mesmerizing visuals, and the models began to walk.
As expected, the variety of outfits — ranging from airplane-like wings to gowns made entirely out of newspaper — drew excited cheers from the crowd. Every model walked on beat before posing beautifully for the camera at the end, showing off both the artistic vision of their designer and the makeup that stylists had carefully applied before the show.
Molly McCormick ’28 exemplified the bold, unconventional designs that defined the runway. Her Hot Wheels-inspired look featured a belt made of actual Hot Wheels toy cars and matching tire-print jeans. She also re-designed the tube top using neckties, turning a traditionally formal, simple accessory into something more playful and thought-provoking.
Other designers took a more direct approach to the event’s theme of water, with much success. Yichen Gao ’25 designed and modeled “Opal Sea,” an iridescent gown adorned with shells, pearls, and more. Complete with aquamarine eyeshadow, pearl ornaments, vivid seafoam earrings, and sparkly off-white heels, the outfit took advantage of the runway and truly shined — in more ways than one.
At the end of the show, attendees and models alike went outside for the after-party, where they admired art, took cute Polaroid pictures, talked to the designers, models, and stylists, and decompressed while MIT LIVE performed.
The Gala isn’t just a show — it’s a statement
While the MIT Gala has clearly grown physically, Long ’26 wanted to emphasize that the event more broadly cements the role of art, fashion, and design at MIT.
Long has been involved with the Gala since it was founded by Mohammed Shafim ’23 and Shua Cho ’25. She was thankful for their efforts and was excited she has been able to help the event grow. She also expressed thanks for the numerous collaborators and supporters that made the event a reality: the Office of the Arts, Council for the Arts at MIT, the Morningside Academy for Design, and Course 4 (Architecture).
However, Long also expressed her desire to set up the MIT Gala for generational success such that it survives “[under the leadership of] multiple boards.” She acknowledged that long-term survival takes more than isolated passion from students. “There should be more institutional support for the arts,” she said. The exponential success of the MIT Gala proves that “MIT students want these opportunities,” especially for a physical medium that is hard to show off “without [financial] support,” according to Long.
Despite these concerns, the 2025 MIT Gala & Student Arts Showcase was a resounding success: hundreds of attendees, dozens of designers, models, stylists, and a packed runway with no empty seats.
“It just makes it so much more rewarding when it goes well because there are so many moving parts,” Long said. Next year, she hoped, the Gala will be even “bigger and better.”