The Toronto Fashion Incubator has announced that it will close immediately. Their announcement appears below:
Dear friends, colleagues, TFI members, and members of the Canadian fashion community,
It is with profound sadness and heartbreak that we share this news: after almost 39 years, Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI), the world’s first fashion incubator, is closing—effective immediately.
This is not an announcement we ever imagined making, and we are devastated to do so. We know how deeply TFI is woven into the fabric of Canada’s fashion ecosystem, and we are truly sorry to let so many of you down. Please know that this decision was not taken lightly, nor was it made without exhausting every possible option. Circumstances beyond our control have forced our hand. Like so many non-profit organizations, TFI has struggled to regain its footing since the pandemic. The past several years have been incredibly challenging, marked by uncertainty, reduced resources, and constant sacrifice. Yet, thanks to the unwavering belief in our mission, from community support and from within our organization, something remarkable happened last year: for the first time since 2013, TFI broke even. It was a hard-won milestone, and it gave us genuine hope that we were finally turning a corner.
Tragically, just as things began to look promising, we've received word that the City of Toronto would not be providing TFI with a multi-year operating grant. Without stable, multi-year funding, it is simply not possible for TFI to continue in a responsible or sustainable way.
For decades, TFI relied on this support to fulfill its mandate of supporting and promoting new and emerging fashion entrepreneurs by delivering meaningful webinars, workshops, events and other much-needed programs and services. Even after this funding was reduced by more than 80%, TFI continued to operate, year after year, with extraordinary hardship, determination, and creativity. We stretched every dollar, took on more with less, and stayed committed to serving designers and the industry as best we could.
Since 1987, TFI has supported thousands of Canadian designers, helped launch countless brands, created jobs, fostered innovation, and played a role in shaping Canada’s fashion identity. What began as a bold, innovative idea grew into a global model for fashion incubation—one that proved creative talent deserves structured support, mentorship, and opportunity.
To every designer who walked through our doors, every member who signed up, every mentor who shared their knowledge, every partner who believed in our work, and every supporter who championed Canadian fashion: thank you. Your trust, passion, and commitment are the true legacy of TFI.
For TFI members with outstanding mentor requests and appointments, we are committed to ensuring these are completed soon.
For TFI members who paid for a membership within the past year, who wish to make a mentor appointment, please use this link: https://form.jotform.com/
Thanks to the generosity of our volunteer mentors, we will do our best to arrange and complete as many requests as possible for a limited period of time.
While this chapter is ending, the impact of TFI lives on through the people it empowered and the dreams it helped set in motion. We hope you continue to create boldly, take risks, support one another, and pursue the visions that first brought you to this industry.
From the bottom of our hearts, we wish each of you the courage to follow your dreams and the strength to keep going—even when the path is difficult.
With heartfelt gratitude and deep respect,
Susan Langdon, Executive Director
and the Board of the Toronto Fashion Incubator