A Maharaja- inspired dress from Signh’s self-titled collection.

Courtesy Aarzoo Singh

Aarzoo Singh knows sleep doesn’t come easy.

Last semester, the fourth-year fashion communication student averaged two hours of sleep per  night.

The result of her all-nighters is a five-piece collection of ornate cocktail gowns ready to head down the runway next week as part of Mass Exodus, Ryerson’s student-run fashion show.

Most of her days involved waking up at 5:30 a.m. and fitting in a quick workout before heading to work. After work, she had class,  which was followed by numerous hours spent in the sewing lab. “I could be there all night or at least until two or three in the morning,” she said. “And then when I would finally get home I’d try to catch up on other school work before sleeping for two hours and doing it all over again the next day.” 

Mass Exodus, a collaboration between fashion communication and the theatre school is the largest student-run fashion in Canada, if not North America, according to Robert Ott, chair of the school of fashion . The school  began showcasing the work of its students in the 1950s with in-house productions that evolved into small fashion shows in the ’70s. The name Mass Exodus was coined in the ’80s as a theme for one year’s event and has stuck ever since. “It has changed from a fairly simple runway presentation to a multidimensional and multimedia fashion show,” Ott said, pointing out that this year Mass Exodus has covered all social media platforms, has its own website and launched a magazine.

This year, Mass Exodus 2011: Zenith + Nadir will showcase the collections of about 50 graduating students, whose designs range from casual wear to bridal wear.

Singh’s inspiration for her collection came from a trip back to her native country of India last summer. “I had been looking at Indian Maharaja armour they wore to war,” she said. “But while the men went to war the women sat at home and did nothing, so I wanted to design something for the modern day Maharani and her battle of cocktail parties and dinner events.”

Singh’s dresses all include “armour” which she hand-crafted out of freshwater pearls she bought in Mumbai bazaars. In Toronto, a single string of pearls would have cost about $20. In Mumbai, she haggled 150 strings for $120.

“I designed with my price and time limits in mind,” she says. “Mine is one of the relatively cheaper (collections.) Bridal wear can take 10 yards of fabric at $50 a yard.” And while some students took advantage of the option to have their sewing work outsourced, Singh opted to do it all herself. 

Both Ott and Singh agree that producing these collections is much more important than just marks.  Ott believes it’s the combination of the skills that students learn and the passion they have for the industry that makes Mass Exodus an opportunity for showcasing their accomplishments. But for a sleep-deprived Singh, it’s more about just wanting the process to be over. “Even going in mentally prepared and knowing how much work the past three years were, it still blew my mind.”

Singh is hopeful that having her first collection on a runway will make the strenuous process all worth it. “From design, to production, to the final product, I can say I’ve done it all myself.”

A few weeks shy of graduating, Singh has applied to graduate school and for design jobs with Abercrombie and Fitch and Le Chateau but adds, “I’m taking a year off to sleep first.”

Mass Exodus  2011: Zenith + Nadir  takes place on April 7 and 8.

Tickets will be sold Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. outside the library on the 3rd floor of 350 Victoria St.
Please note tickets are non-refundable or exchangeable. Cash only.
Price: $20-$25-$30
For more information, email tickets@massexodus.ca or visit massexodus.ca.