For weeks, mysterious posters have appeared across campus– an abstract, gray background formed from famous brand logos, the words Laissez Faire seemingly scrawled across the paper in red marker. The Men of Color’s fashion show carried an air of intrigue since its announcement in February.
The idea for Laissez Faire came to Noah Gutierrez ’25 in his freshman year, before the Men of Color was founded. Students would talk about hosting a fashion show to offer some diversity to campus programming, but no one stepped forward to make the event a reality.
When Men of Color was approved as a club by the SGA, Gutierrez, who is the MoC president, decided to take action. Laissez Faire is the club’s first major event on campus, boasting seventy-two model tryouts and over 60 staff members on the all-student planning committee. The Laissez Faire experience has been in the works since October, when Men of Color stepped in to assist Manchester West High School produce a fashion show of their own.
The French term Laissez Faire, often used to describe free-market policies, directly translates to “let it happen.” Gutierrez and the MoC team interpret the term in a unique way– to them, it represents breaking boundaries and expressing individuality. The show anticipated over 350 guests, including President Favazza and a representative from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The team was challenged to design an immersive, intimate experience that communicated the sense of community they wished to convey, originally planning a circular-bleacher construction, but favoring “immersive-runway” seating with additional attendees seated in Sullivan Arena’s bleachers.
In an interview, Gutierrez emphasized the club’s mission that Laissez Faire should be viewed and remembered as an experience, not just a fashion show. Planned and executed entirely by students, the event encouraged young people on and around our campus to achieve more than they ever imagined possible. The featured clothing was produced by minority designers- from Saint A’s and SNHU students to local artists. Even the music was produced in collaboration with Noah and his former Access Academy student. By uniting for a common cause, the team certainly has achieved amazing things, as marketing and graphic design students have already found job opportunities through their involvement in the show. According to Noah, the show was an immense effort, but a worthwhile undertaking. He stated, “To be able to bring everyone together and genuinely see a group of young people grow has been amazing. We are cultivating a family right here.”
Men of Color anticipates that Laissez Faire is just the start of a culture shift across campus. Commiserating with students that find campus life dull and the culture lackluster, the club believes that campus can continue to find more ways to unite in pursuit of a common good. They argue that putting the stress of campus life aside in pursuit of something great would contribute to a more welcoming, united Saint Anselm community. Gutierrez knows the work to produce this experience is daunting, but believes it is entirely necessary. He stated, “I would say (students) need to be here because it’s bigger than the individual. That’s got to be Anselmian– a group of kids who just believe in each other and are trying to push to a common goal.”
