Posts

May 11th, 2026

The Government of Canada has renewed the Creative Export Strategy and opened the 2026–27 intake of the Export-Ready Stream (ERS) of the Creative Export Canada (CEC) program. The program supports eligible Canadian creative industries organizations in developing export markets.  Fashion design is an eligible sector under the program. Three Canadian fashion companies received funding in the most recent cohort (2025–26).  How to Apply Complete the Eligibility Quiz (available from Canadian Heritage) to confirm your organization and project qualify.  Review the Application …

May 11th, 2026

At Première Vision Montréal on April 22, 2026, the Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF) and EURATEX — the European Apparel and Textile Confederation — signed a joint policy statement committing to deeper transatlantic cooperation on trade, sustainability, and innovation. The statement was adopted by EURATEX President Mario Jorge Machado and CAF Executive Director Bob Kirke. Background: CETA's Untapped Potential CETA has significantly deepened economic ties between Canada and the European Union, providing duty-free access for virtually all textile and clothing products. …

March 25th, 2026

Canadian employers can now access federal wage subsidies of upto $7,000 per placement when hiring post-secondary co-op students through the Government of Canada's Student Work Placement Program (SWPP). Subsidies cover up to 50% of a student's wages (up to $5000) - rising to 70% (up to $7000) for first-year students or those from under-represented groups, including women in STEM, Indigenous students, persons with disabilities, and newcomers. Placements must be net-new hires and run 12–16 weeks. Applications for Summer 2026 (May …

March 16th, 2026

On March 11, 2026, Canadian Apparel Federation partner NetSuite hosted a webinar to explore how cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology can resolve the operational complexities facing fashion brands. A recording is now available. The discussion highlighted key pressures on apparel and accessories companies, particularly mid-market brands seeking to scale. Challenges include managing seasonal inventory and high SKU volumes, navigating shifting consumer trends, meeting omnichannel fulfillment expectations, and coping with manual systems that impede financial visibility. NetSuite presenters detailed how …

March 11th, 2026

The Canadian government, through Global Affairs Canada, provides funding for export market development through the CanExport SME program.  Companies have until May 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM (ET) to apply for this funding. CanExport offers financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they explore and expand into new international markets. Especially if you are new to the program, you may want to: View the recording of the Canadian Apparel Federation’s recent webinar on CanExport SME. Download the slides …

October 31st, 2025

Apply for the Canadian Fashion Delegation to South Korea, February 3-5 Picture your brand making its mark in one of the world’s most vibrant and influential fashion hubs: South Korea. From February 3-5, 2026, the Canadian Embassy in Seoul, led by the Trade Commissioner Service, is hosting the Canadian Fashion Delegation, a curated mini-trade mission for the fashion industry. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to showcase your product, participate in a store tour, engage in businesses-to-business meetings, …

October 9th, 2025

CAF is ramping up activities to respond to the changing dynamics in the North American marketplace. In particular, we are working to provide solutions to firms impacted by the end of duty-free shipments to the US, under the de minimis.   If your firm is impacted by these changes, keep an eye out for our survey on the impact of the end of the US de minimis program due out in a week or so. Our newsletter this week includes …

October 8th, 2025

The Canadian Apparel Federation is relaunching live product compliance / product integrity workshops in different cities across Canada.  The first of these events took place on September 24 in Vancouver.  While delivered on short notice the event featured excellent speakers from SGS, KPMG , Claigan Environmental, Trustrace and ITL - and the event was well-received by participants. Our thanks to Kwantlen Polytechnic University for hosting the event.   We are scheduling similar events in early December in Toronto, and in April …

October 8th, 2025

At Accent Labels, we believe the smallest details make the biggest impact. As a trusted partner of the CAF for brands across fashion, lifestyle, and beyond, - we specialize in creating custom woven, printed, specialty labels & content care labels that not only identify a product but also tell a story.  Founded on the idea that branding should be as functional as it is beautiful, it's no surprise that at Accent we love and appreciate nice things all while maintaining operational excellence. Accent Labels works …

August 26th, 2025

Since 1986, with a wealth of collection and litigation experience, ACA has provided professional collection services - while always remaining accessible to our clients. Specializing in commercial collections with access to a team of experienced litigators across Canada and the United States as well as resources to handle International files. As a new client of ACA’s collection services, CAF Members receive a 10% discount on their first 2 files placed with ACA.  For more information on this program contact:  David …