Mass Exodus 2015 - Design profiles

For Mass Exodus, the world's largest student-run fashion event, The Eyeopener has done profiles for a handful of fourth-year fashion design students participating in the show. Design students, who've been developing their collections since September, will be presenting their five "looks" on Mass Exodus' runway. To participate in the runway show, students must be standards of quality and modesty determined by a group of three to five professors. The students' collections must also follow the fashion school's main principles of "innovation, heritage and diversity." Besides these rules, however, students are given creative freedom to create their own unique, individual collections.

» Fashion Communication student profiles

Brianne Foster

Brianne foster is participating in Mass Exodus with her five-look, Spring/Summer 2016 womenswear contemporary collection Paper. Compiled of eight key pieces and an additional 3 complimentary pieces, Brianne describes her garments as high quality, sportswear garments that can transform and be custom-fit to each individual with the simple pull of a drawstring. Although her garments are womenswear, they take on a uni-sex style, as the drawstrings determine how feminine and fitted her pieces look. The garments also feature hand-shaped embroidered appliqués. Key pieces in her collection include a mechanic suit, trouser pants with multi pockets, and an elongated rain jacket; the overall purposes of her garments are to combine comfort, versatility and practicality in high fashion. Brianne states she views Mass exodus as a chance for students to show who they are as individual designers and tell a story to the audience. By: Hayley Adam

Andria Sgromo

Acknowledging the fact that woman with curves are often overlooked and ignored by popular top fashion brands, Andria Sgromo decided to create her Locus Amoenus collection comprised of curvy evening wear. "Locus Amoenus," a latin phrase, means "pleasant place"; her 13 pieces provide elegant, feminine, and modern evening wear, including tops, skirts, jackets and capes. All are made to flatter women's curves while giving women comfort and confidence. Included fabrications include pleated silks, knits, all-way stretch fabrics and others in colours like merlot and berry. This will not be Andria's debut in the industry, as she designed and created a gown for Much Music VJ Liz Trinnear during 2014's Much Music Video Awards. By: Hayley Adam

Annabel Fleming

Vol. 1: Jane Eyre Goes to Sable Island, Annabel Fleming's Mass Exodus collection focuses on exposing the modern urban woman to Canada's iconic landscapes. Inspired by her trip to Sable Island, Halifax - an island filled with beaches, horses and seals - Annabel's collection tells the story of what might happen if her favourite literary character, Jane Eyre, also visited the island. Consisting of five Spring/Summer outfits, her woman's day-wear collection is comprised of elegantly casual pieces with textures and colours selected to mimic landscapes viewed on her trip. Pay Home by Annabel — the brand releasing the collection - will donate back a portion of its sales to the Friends of Sable Island Society, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving the island. By: Hayley Adam

Alysia Myette

Alysia Myette is participating in Mass Exodus by showcasing Lavendeur, a collection of couture inspired evening wear. Targeted towards the largely underrepresented demographic of woman over 40, Lavendeur is inspired by textiles and surface design. Compiled of five looks, the collection combines traditional couture beading, crystal details and modern design processes like laser cutting to create pieces with an innovative edge. Myette also plans to combined use of silk and satin with leather and power mesh. Alysia's collection will be showcased on diverse models in contrast to the traditional sample size to furthermore represent a target market of unique, mature woman. By: Hayley Adam

Alice Young

Alice Young's Mass Exodus collection called The Space Between is comprised of unusual, yet elegant oblong silhouettes inspired by the negative space between fabric and our bodies. Additionally inspired by an egg shape form, her 8 garment evening wear collection consists primarily of both blush-coloured satin organza gowns and separates detailed with hand embroidery. Alice states she views Mass Exodus as somewhat symbolic as it's the designers of the event's passage into real life. By: Hayley Adam

Vivian Lee

Vivian Lee will be showcasing her collection, RISE - a contemporary men's leisure collection combining casual and athletic wear - at Mass Exodus. A previous volunteer at the fashion event, Lee will be displaying five looks all together with a total of fifteen garments. Originally from Calgary, Lee was inspired by the colours and textures of her childhood surroundings. She found awe within the contrast of all things naturally occurring and was also very inspired to create clothing for what she calls the RISE man that marries technical design with a simple look. By: Sarah Jayne

Therese Marie Te

Therese Marie Te will be displaying her spring cocktail wear collection called Moderna. Born and raised within the islands of the Philippines, Te drew her inspiration from Filipino cultures and traditions. Now living in Canada, she is driven to display her own background along with a twist of Canadian culture. Te incorporated traditional hand woven fabrics from the Philippines such as pineapple and cocoon silk and used pearls and shells as embellishments. Te was able to work with different communities and weavers within the Philippines to display their different innovations and assist them in attaining exposure within the international market. Her collection will use organic materials to display a look full of clean lines and silhouettes. By: Sarah Jayne

Stephanie Moscall-Varey

Stephanie Moscall-Varey will be showcasing her collection, Norfolk, by Moskal, at Mass Exodus. Moscall-Varey was born and raised in Norfolk County, a fishing and farming community that is a two hour drive south of Toronto. Her collection was inspired by the idea of hunting along with the persona of a feral child. As a child, Moscall-Varey approached her nature-filled surroundings with playful energy and child-like curiosity. This inspired clothing that was created to emerge as a mobile habitat. Her art-to-wear collection will attempt to bring what she calls a beautiful savage fantasy to life. By: Sarah Jayne

Azalea Yang

Azalea Yang's self-titled collection of semi-formal eveningwear marries the styles of early 20th century Chinese high-drama with the unfettered ease of modern western wear. Her five looks are inspired by the Azalea flower that shares her first name, focusing on colours of gold, red, beige and turquoise. Yang says her circle skirts — among other garments like a cocktail dress - have simple floral patterns but its sides, sweeping outward, give them a more complex look. Her garments also have details made from pleat, beads, sparkles and more. The meticulous layering at the bottom and intricate strapping allude to the conscientious nature of classic Chinese design and a current baroque spirit. By: Swikar Oli

Jeesun Ania Lee

Jeesun Ania Lee is showing 15 garments for her men's contemporary collection called Muskode at Mass Exodus which have all been inspired by the dynamic city of Seoul, South Korea. Lee believes that from recalling the country's history, you can see beauty, artistic quality, and Korean culture. On the other hand, looking at the modern state of the country one can see diversity, speed, and innovation. Lee thinks this inspiration will add a unique flair to her collection on the Mass Exodus runway because her use of Korean style silks made in Canada. Lee says the collection is stylish and high quality, using natural and synthetic fibers, leather, wool, silk and neoprene. The combination of these materials will make a sporty yet sophisticated look that's more affordable than other products of its kind. Lee is currently a freelance patternmaker for a design brand called Nique, which is preparing to launch this fall.By: Noella Ovid

Jessica Wanuch

Jessica Wanuch and is showing five garments as an independent designer at Mass Exodus. She is interested in portraying various expressions and capacities of the human race through a strong female warrior from each respective country. "This is because I really believe women are just as capable of being seen as strong and 'great' without having to throw away what makes them feminine," said Wanuch. "Seeing women erased from history in the art world, hearing things like "you run like a girl" growing up with five brothers, seeing a lack of strong female leads in the media my whole life, and much more."By: Noella Ovid

Jenna Saunders

Jenna Saunders is hoping to add fun and spunk and bright neon colours to Mass Exodus through Wink!, her contemporary women's lingerie and loungewear collection. As her garments for the show, Saunders is showing five bras, five underwear and five loungewear pieces. As Saunders created the collection, she says she had every woman in mind. And instead of focusing on sex appeal, Saunders is eager to provide women with confidence through the garments' bright and vibrant hues. Her works are also being featured in The Showroom, which sells students' pieces, and is looking forward to seeing people buy garments from her collection. By: Noella Ovid

Kristina Cartmill

Kristina Cartmill is a bridal designer at Mass Exodus showing five gowns for five looks inspired by a glass-winged butterfly. Cartmill says she wants to create a bridal line that has an evening wear and couture inspired look that beyond traditional and at a reasonable price point. Cartmill wants to combine both themes of bridal and evening wear together to create a unique product, seen through details such as lace appliqué, illusion areas and beading. She is currently a bridal consultant at Kleinfeld Hudson's Bay. By: Noushin Ziafati

Kim Tran

Kim Tran will be featuring five evening gowns in her Kylo Tana Goddess Evening Wear Collection at Mass Exodus. The collection is inspired by the theme of goddesses and is catered towards women between their early twenties to late fifties with different body shapes. Each garment created by Kylo Tana is made with the highest quality material from 100 per cent silk, French Lace and Swarovski crystal. The five gowns are goddess themed to help women feel confident, desirable and elegant. She is a television host for VoMedia where she speaks about fashion and trendy clothing. By: Noushin Ziafati

Adrianne Hill

Adrianne Hill's self-titled womenswear line is looking to shed light on the fashion industry's impact on the environment and domestic market. Looking to create classic, slow fashion pieces including a wool coat, sweater, skirt, dress and pants, Hill's pieces are meant to be versatile. The collection's colour palette will revolve around grey, black, charcoal and navy. In the future, Hill hopes to create a collection that's environmentally friendly and organic, plus sold and produced within Canada.She will be using this collection as a template for her collection, getting her fabrics such as wool and faux leather from local artisans. Hill will be displaying 14 garments for her five looks. By: Al Downham

Elizabeth Barrette

Elizabeth Barrette is presenting her art-to-wear collection called E.Barrette at Mass Exodus. Using modern textiles like neoprene and traditional hand embroidery, Barrette took much of her visuals from early psychological practices, specifically The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins. The book's plot revolves around a wealthy Victorian woman poisoned by lover, eventually having her riches taken from her and thrown into psychiatric care. Some of Barrette's garments make references to doctor's coats, straightjackets and Rorschach inkblot tests. Although the collection is art-to-wear, E.Barrette uses materials that are affordable and washable. Barrette is showing 12 garments for her five looks. By: Al Downham

Barbara Basar

Barbarian is a luxury outerwear collection by Mass Exodus designer Barbara Basar. Basar's collection of wool winter coats is made to combat long, dull winters, using bright and bold colours to make the season more vibrant. Basar says the coats are sophisticated, youthful and made for urban dwellers. Much of Barbarian's bold colours were influenced by Toronto street art, specifically a local tagger named Stoner, who helped Basar construct the photo shoot for her pieces. Basar's collection will have five coats for five looks. By: Al Downham

Sienna Sekand

Sienna Sekand's high-end women's lingerie collection called Mala is inspired by the kamala and lotus flowers, along with Indian culture. Using Indian saris - a fabric Sekand says emulates the country - she says she's using the fabric because of the silk's fine, bright texture and look, also because its colours of turquoise, fuchsia, violent and gold give off a fun vibe not seen in everyday life. Sekand hopes her collection will make every woman feel empowered and sexy while wearing it. Sekand will have five looks with 13 pieces overall. By: Justin Chandler

Shreya Bharath

Shreya Bharath is showing off her contemporary womenswear collection called Sattika for Mass Exodus this year. Sattika, a term from Buddhist texts meaning "women's attire", is what inspired Bharath to make her collection, along with a desire to transcend women's fashion aesthetic geographically and racially. Hoping to create a more international women's style, Bharath is concerned how Indian designers only cater to Indian fashion enthusiasts domestically and abroad. Bharath is hoping to bridge the gap by using both Indian garments like saris and Western ones like denim jeans in Sattika. Her collection will include 11 garments for her five looks, including pants, tops, a skirt and more all to be sold at the e-commerce showroom. By: Justin Chandler

Photo courtesy of Shreya Bharath