An “Orphan” Creative Industry: Exploring the Institutional Factors Constraining the Canadian Fashion Industry

Abstract

In recent years, tier‐two fashion countries have been making gains in the global fashion industry, with hip young brands, buzz‐worthy fashion weeks and export‐oriented designers. The Canadian fashion industry, on the other hand, continues to fall behind and instead has experienced recent high‐profile closures of leading domestic fashion names. This paper explores why this is the case by considering a wide range of factors from a historical and institutional perspective. We argue that Canadian fashion is facing a number of systemic problems relating to wider institutional and policy weaknesses, rather than a lack of talent and know‐how within the entrepreneurs and businesses in the sector. While the fashion industry is indeed global, we argue that it is in fact national and local level factors—political, economic, and cultural—that structure and constrain the Canadian fashion industry for independent designers. Through exploring the experiences of this group of actors—entrepreneurial fashion designers—in this particular context, we not only learn about Canada as an economy but also what is needed in order to develop the fashion industry more broadly. We provide a framework for analysing the range of socio‐economic, historical, and political factors at the national level which affect the performance of the fashion sector and the operation of fashion designers as the entrepreneurial actors at the heart of the industry.

“Made in Canada”: Local production networks in the Canadian fashion industry

“…Finally, it is also relevant to consider the role of fashion in the Canadian economy and Canada's position in the global fashion industry. Within Canada, the fashion industry is an “orphan” creative industry that receives minimal government investment and recognition (Brydges and Pugh ). This lack of financial investment and institutional support has been identified as a key factor that stymies the growth and potential of the industry, particularly for independent designers (Brydges and Pugh ).…”

“…Within Canada, the fashion industry is an “orphan” creative industry that receives minimal government investment and recognition (Brydges and Pugh ). This lack of financial investment and institutional support has been identified as a key factor that stymies the growth and potential of the industry, particularly for independent designers (Brydges and Pugh ). The Canadian fashion industry can be classified as a tier‐two or “beta” market (Rekers ) that operates outside of the dominant centers or fashion's world cities (Breward and Gilbert ).…”

“…Finally, this paper examines the consumption experiences offered by designers in order to convey the values of "Made in Canada" garments to consumers. It will be argued that while the Canadian fashion industry faces a number of considerable challenges with respect to growth and the overall viability of the sector (Brydges and Pugh 2017), in a highly competitive marketplace, the practices of "Made in Canada" are a key value creation strategy for independent fashion designers. This paper nuances the literature on production networks by providing a contemporary account of the processes and places underpinning LPNs in the Canadian fashion industry.…”

What motivates millennials? How intersectionality shapes the working lives of female entrepreneurs in Canada’s fashion industry

“…Thus, the Canadian system provides the freedom and opportunity for a wide range of individuals to enter the sector. However, once in the industry, designers face a number of obstacles, including a highly competitive retail environment, few opportunities for mentorship or support, and difficulties accessing capital (Brydges and Pugh, 2017).…”

“…While a handful of start-up spaces or incubators exist for fashion designers in Canada, their locations (based in Toronto) and competitive entrance criteria make them inaccessible for most designers. The disorganised nature of Canada's fashion industry and lack of communitybased forums to bring designers together also contributes to this isolation (Brydges and Pugh, 2017).…”