Supernova ignites the stage: CAISA Fashion blends storytelling and fashion | Culture

The Canadian Asian International Student Association’s Fashion Show returned for its 27th annual showcase last Saturday, captivating an audience of over 700 attendees at Centennial Hall. 

What began with just 100 attendees at The Wave has now become a large-scale production, blending fashion, dance and storytelling into a vibrant show.

This year’s theme, “Supernova,” explored the rise, fall and inner turmoil of a star, while raising funds for the Children’s Health Foundation. According to the CHF, CAISA has contributed $441,000 to the foundation over the years, including a recent $20,000 donation to music therapy. 

Supernova told a story through dance, clothing and music, using shifting colours and choreography to reflect the emotional journey of its main character, played by fourth-year kinesiology student Richie Ngo. 

Irene Lee, a fifth-year health sciences and Indigenous studies student, and Coco Sun, a fourth-year Ivey Business School student, developed the show’s theme. They said they were inspired by the relentless ambition and grind culture that defines student life. 

“A big part that’s always on our minds is our success and grind culture, and that competition over who can grind the hardest. I really wanted to show it’s so easy to lose ourselves in that temptation,” said Lee. 

Supernova’s narrative followed the main character’s journey through the entertainment industry, beginning with untainted ambition and resulting in a dramatic fall. The story unfolded in a series of different fashion and performance segments, each reflecting a different stage of the main character’s rise and decline. 

The show opened with casual and bright clothing accompanied by galaxy-themed makeup, symbolizing the main character’s early days of training and passion. Set in a dance studio, the models represented hunger and love for the craft. Models walked to songs, including “Skate” by Bruno Mars and “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls. 

As the character’s fame solidified, the formalwear segment marked the peak of his career. The scene was set at an A-list gala, with models dressed in dusty red and white ensembles to symbolize confidence and power, while reflecting his growing hunger for success and the moral compromises made along the way. 

“Their ambitions have kind of grown sour,” Lee explained. “They’re so hungry for ambition that they kind of lose their morale, and the clothing reflects that in its darkness.”

The narrative reached its most vulnerable point in the lingerie segment, where the character realized he had lost everything in pursuit of an unattainable dream. The models wore distressed hems, creams, and beiges. Music reflected the vulnerability with tracks including “Ribs” by Lorde and “Never Felt So Alone” by Labrinth. 

For Sun, the CAISA fashion show has been a four-year journey. She started as a stage design executive, later became stage design director and worked as a creative assistant before stepping into the creative director role this year. 

“The fashion show is probably one of the most rewarding experiences that I had for the last four years,” said Sun. 

A significant change this year was the addition of behind-the-scenes storytelling. The team prioritized BTS videos and photos throughout the process, creating a deeper connection between the models and the audience. At the end of the show, audiences were able to see a brief BTS video showing all the work that had gone into the show since last April. 

Among the attendees was Fares Menesy, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student, who decided to experience the show for the first time as an alternative to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

“I didn’t think that many people would actually be here,” Menesy admitted. “I didn’t think it was gonna be a big event, but I heard this is one of the biggest fashion shows at a university level.”

With 147 students involved in the show, Sun described seeing the vision come to life as an incredibly gratifying and humbling experience. 

“CAISA fashion show really isn’t just your regular student club. It’s really like an accumulation of a lot of, like, like, thousands of hours of work, which I really enjoy,” said Sun.