SUSAN LANGDON FASHION ’97

Executive Director of Toronto Fashion Incubator

Role at Mass Exodus
Designer

What did you learn?
“It taught me to set goals, meet deadlines and to always give 110 per cent to everything you do.”

How did it affect your career?
“After my ME show I landed my first job with Mary Chong Inc. My future employer attended the show and liked my designs so much that she hired me as design assistant.”

collections to a jury of industry experts. After that, the designs were revealed publicly at Mass Exodus.

Odorico has learned valuable lessons while developing and presenting her collection. “There’s so much involved in the process. You must be very organized.”

Jake Jamieson has stepped out of his comfort zone. The third-year Performance Production student was production manager for Mass Exodus ’17, his first time at the technical helm of a major event.

Working with production manager Courtney Cook of FMAV, Jamieson developed runway and seating plans. He estimated he put in roughly 250 hours of work on the event. That’s on top of classes, schoolwork and volunteering to design sets for another production involving Ryerson’s School of Performance.

“I usually prefer the sidelines, but being a production manager allows me to apply my skills and bring ideas to life. It’s a fun, interesting learning curve,” he says.

As producer of Mass Exodus ’16, Dylan Kwacz developed what he calls “hyper-organizational skills.” One year later, the fourth-year Fashion Communication student is applying his know-how in various ways, thanks in part to contacts he made through the event.

For example, through School of Fashion Chair Robert Ott, Kwacz learned about a part-time communications job at the Suzanne Rogers Fashion Institute. Now, he is program co-ordinator for the institute, which supports emerging Canadian fashion designers. Kwacz also volunteered last winter as a producer’s assistant during TOM*, Toronto Men’s Fashion Week, and TW, Toronto Women’s Fashion Week. Those opportunities came via well-known fashion show producer Hans Koechling.

“There are many benefits of networking at Mass Exodus,” Kwacz says.

Alexa Jovanovic’s 2016 capstone project led to patent applications in Canada and the U.S. The fashion graduate set out to create clothing that counters current Braille and disability stigmas, increases social inclusivity and appeals to both blind and sighted consumers.

After consulting with several visually impaired individuals, Jovanovic devised a solution: incorporate beads, Braille-embossed buttons and removable clips into clothing and accessories, providing tactile details about a garment’s colour, size, textiles and care content.

“Braille intrigues the sighted world and when combined with clothing, looks like really pretty beadwork,” says Jovanovic. Several sighted participants from the research study were unable to identify the beading on her designs as Braille.

“Most garments designed for people with disabilities aren't functional or aesthetically pleasing, which leads to stigmatization.”

Last year, in addition to showing prototypes at Mass Exodus, Jovanovic received the Helen and Sulo Hutko Award and the Holt Renfrew James Brandl Award in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to fashion and her creative potential.

To participate in Jovanovic’s ongoing research, visit alexajovanovic.com.