Posts

December 11th, 2025

It is with deep sadness that MMODE the Montreal fashion cluster announced the passing of the founding manager of mmode, Debbie Zakaib.Her exceptional commitment, vision, and energy profoundly impacted our ecosystem. Debbie dedicated over six years of her career to promoting the fashion industry and supporting those who work within it. She was passionate about, and indeed an outstanding ambassador for, Montreal and Quebec fashion.The numerous initiatives led by Debbie and the mmode team have helped to reaffirm the global …

November 28th, 2025

Health Canada is notifying interested parties that an updated version of the Guidelines for the flammability requirements of the Children's Sleepwear Regulations – Canada.ca under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) is now available online. The Guidelines have been modified to: update references to the most recent versions of documents and standards modernize the general format and style, and update images and drawings. Where to find the Guidelines online: You can find the Guidelines on the Industry and health professionals web page.

November 28th, 2025

As fashion executives look to 2026, they are contending with a fundamentally new reality. US tariffs have redrawn trade maps and forced brands and their suppliers to rapidly adjust. Consumers continue to rethink their spending, seeking value and devoting more of their budgets to achieve other goals, including their own well-being and longevity. The swift onset of AI, meanwhile, means fashion businesses find themselves in a rapidly changing technological landscape. While the ongoing disruptions may feel daunting, they are in fact …

November 19th, 2025

On December 9, 2025, the Embassy of Canada to Japan , in collaboration with Meros Consulting , will host a webinar on the occasion of the launch of its report on Digital Marketing to provide practical insights on e-commerce and unique digital marketing trends in Japan. This new report builds on the E-Commerce Guide to Japan (available on demand) and dives deep into the uniqueness of the Japanese market to help you prepare your branding in Japan for your market …

November 4th, 2025

The CAF joined industry organizations from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in a letter on the importance of renewing USMCA/CUSMA.  The letter, addressed to the United States Trade Representative, calls for the agreement to be preserved as a trilateral agreement and extended for another 16 years. It also cautioned against changes to the rules of origin which might  create unnecessary barriers and increase costs for businesses and working families. Further, maintaining duty-free access for USMCA-qualifying goods and avoiding additional tariffs, …

October 31st, 2025

The Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) and the Canadian Embassy in Seoul are inviting Canadian apparel companies to join the Canadian Fashion Delegation to South Korea, November 17–19, 2026 — a three-day program built to put Canadian brands in front of Korean buyers, distributors, and retailers. This initiative sits within Canadian Heritage's renewed Creative Export Strategy, which commits $95 million over five years beginning in 2026–27 to help Canadian creative and cultural firms grow their exports through direct funding, trade missions, …

October 10th, 2025

      CAF Bulletin, October 10, 2025 As the holidays approach, the Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF) is ramping up activities to respond to the changing dynamics in the North American marketplace. In particular, we are working to provide information and solutions to firms impacted by the end of duty-free shipments to the US, under the de minimis program.   The end of the de minimis exemption is impacting hundreds of firms, big and small.  If your firm is impacted …

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

Firms have until November 3rd to provide comments to the Canadian government on the renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). CUSMA entered into force on July 1, 2020, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that had been in force since January 1, 1994.  Trilateral free trade, under CUSMA and NAFTA before it, has provided certainty for business and investors for more than thirty years.  Article 34.7 allows the Parties to assess the operation of CUSMA and ensure …