Third-year fashion communication student Krizia Peluso is the producer of this year’s Mass Exodus, the student-run fashion show on April 8 at Daniels Spectrum.
When Peluso was 12 years old, she knew she wanted to pursue fashion as a career. “Before I was like, ‘Should I become a dentist? Oh no, I hate teeth,’” she says.
As the producer, Peluso’s role is to oversee the entire production with her executive team. After a hectic first year, Peluso believes she can deal with any job.
“First year really hit me hard especially in (my) program. There’s just so much that goes into it. ‘If you can survive first year, you can survive anything.’ That’s what everyone says in our program.”
Now that Toronto Fashion Week at David Pecaut Square has ended and is being revived in Yorkville sometime later this year, the Ryerson School of Fashion has even more responsibility to represent the local industry.
“These are the new up-and-coming designers. As communications students, we want to give the best platform to showcase their work,” says Peluso. “Having this platform, especially at the time where there’s no fashion week right now, is extremely important.”
Peluso, 20, already has a long resume of work and experience in fashion. Last fall, she helped produce SPLICE, the fashion promotion class’s annual mini fall show about bridging the gap between real life and technology. While interning for stylist Joan Balda for over three years, Peluso realized she had a fervour for being on set.
As well, her summer 2015 internship with Elite Model Management in Toronto exposed her to networking within Canada’s fashion industry. “They opened up a lot of doors. So, I was introduced to a lot of people working with them, booking out models,” says Peluso. “Meeting a lot of people is what I took from that job.”
Peluso learned that the importance of networking is to get your foot in the door. “I think it’s great because if you can establish a relationship with someone, you can do whatever you want since everyone has connections,” she says. “That’s where it takes you in this industry, networking is the biggest thing.”
Her experience with Elite means she has quick access to models, if she ever needs one for a class project. “They’re always an email away. All of my models are from Elite so far,” says Peluso.
Peluso was named after the ready-to-wear label Krizia by the late Italian designer, Mariuccia Mandelli. Growing up, she found style inspiration from her grandfather who owns his own menswear manufacturing company. “I’ve always admired him ever since I was little because he always dressed up no matter where he was going. He loved what he was doing because he was in the industry,” she says.
Originally, Peluso wanted to become a stylist but her love for photography and being on set for her internship made her lean towards becoming an art director. The collaborative environment on set is indescribable and full of “you have to be there” moments for Peluso.
Hustle and heart is what motivates Peluso to keep stepping into the fashion industry. “Honestly, being busy, I love it. I love the whole madness that goes behind it. I don’t mind that it’s crazy and there’s a lot of work to do.”
Cherileigh is a journalist from Brampton, Ont. with experience in fashion, lifestyle and feature writing. She is one of the arts + life editor for the winter 2017 semester. Follow @cherileighco on Twitter and Instagram.