Behind the scenes at Toronto Fashion Week 2015

TORONTO — Nineteen-year-old Zoë Colivas was born and raised in Toronto but she’s now pretty much a citizen of the world.

“I’d like to say I live in my suitcase because that’s what I’m with most of the time. But I guess right now I would say I’m living in New York.”

She was discovered on a Toronto streetcar when she was 13, started modelling two years later and quickly catapulted to international heights, juggling school with shoots and shows around the world.

She’s booked jobs with big clients like Joe Fresh, Nordstrom, Saks, Elle UK, Harpers Bazaar Australia, Glamour magazine; and walked for renown designers like Prada, John Galliano and Canada’s own Mackage, whose show she did Wednesday night at Toronto Fashion Week.

By the end of the week, 58 designers will showcase their spring and summer collections. Colivas will appear in about a dozen of those shows. She’s one of about 500 models whose looks will be seen by just over 30,000 attendees.

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“Show season in New York, London, Paris and Milan is kind of stressful, whereas Toronto Fashion Week, I just get to enjoy myself when I’m home,” she said. “I love coming back…It’s a bit of a slower pace.”

Things can still get “very chaotic” backstage, though. She had about 20 minutes between two of her Wednesday shows, during which she had to get new hair, new makeup, and new nails.

“I had about 12 people on me at once.”

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By now, she’s used to the last-minute nature of fashion week.

“I’ve been in shows where they’re still sewing things onto your outfit when you’re wearing it in the lineup, about to go onto the runway.”

The changes are quick, as well. Clothes usually fly off the models as soon as they step off the runway and rush to their dressers.

And at the end of each whirlwind day, she’s usually just happy to go home and eat.

“My mom will make me something.”

Food is another passion of hers, which she documents on her blog modelcitizenn.com.