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Mass Exodus spreads its wings

The acclaimed graduating student fashion show returns this Saturday, April 9
By: Emily Graham
April 07, 2022
A woman stands against a wall with projection on it, raising her hands up toward the camera.

This year’s Mass Exodus theme is Metamorphosis, inspired by the fact that our world is evolving faster than ever before. Photography by: Siya Gariba, Carlos Alcordo and Ashni Johal

It’s curtain time! Mass Exodus (external link) , the annual showcase of graduating Fashion Design and Communication student work returns this Saturday, April 9. 

For the first time, the show will be taking a hybrid approach, inviting audiences to experience the renowned runways featuring student fashion designs both live in-person and virtually. Though the two in-person runway shows are already sold out, they will be livestreamed through the Mass Exodus website (external link)  for those unable to attend. This year’s show also offers an installation of interdisciplinary work from the capstone projects of the graduating class, which will be exhibited in the Sandbox/3rd floor of the Student Learning Centre. 

More than 100 students and volunteers across The Creative School, including Professional Music, Fashion, Performance, Creative Industries, Professional Communication, and RTA Media have come together to produce this year’s show. Many students are participating as part of The Creative School’s Live Event Supercourse, a collaborative two-semester course focused on the development and production of a large-scale, multi-stakeholder fashion and cultural event, and the Fashion Promotion course, where students explore roles in event production. 

A truly collaborative effort, students from the Performance Production program are supporting  the production side of the show, and RTA Media students are facilitating the live broadcast. Students from the Professional Music program also composed the musical track for the show and Graphic Communications Management students provided all of the printed materials.

A woman holds one pony tail of hair in each hand.

Though the in-person runway portion of the show is sold out, viewers can tune in via livestream and visit the installation of work at the SLC. Photography by: Siya Gariba, Carlos Alcordo and Ashni Johal

This year’s theme is Metamorphosis, which takes inspiration from the organic forms that build natural ecosystems, emphasizing the concept that the current world is evolving faster than ever before. 

The symbolism of the butterfly is also present in the show, centring the idea around natural rebirth and coming into one’s own, much like the transformation period of a butterfly in its chrysalis stage. In tune with the theme, sustainability has been a priority in this year’s production, specifically through the use of renting and repurposing show materials and props where possible. 

For a full list of students participating in the runway show and installation, visit massexodus.ca (external link) 

Watch the livestream of the runway show this Saturday, April 9 at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. EST. 

Community members are welcome to view the installation for free on Saturday, April 9 from 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. on the third floor of the Student Learning Centre.

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