The third leading North American city for clothing manufacturing, Montréal is a fashion leader and is flourishing. Québec is still the main provincial player in the Canadian fashion and apparel market. With over 1,800 companies,[1] the sector accounts for more than 28,000 jobs[2] and represents over $7.6 billion in annual sales.[3]
Fashion: part of Montréal’s DNA
From design to production and distribution, Greater Montréal and Québec have a rich heritage in fashion. The Québec fashion and apparel industry is recognized both in Canada and beyond its borders. It has been and remains a major source of economic activity and jobs. With over 28,000 jobs, Québec accounts for 48% of employment in the Canadian fashion and apparel industry. And Montréal has the largest clothing production centres in North America. Considered the fashion capital of Canada, it is home to 70% of businesses in the sector.[4]
Bringing together a major and diverse pool of high-performing companies in product manufacturing, design, marketing and distribution, Québec has plenty of talented professionals who demonstrate know-how and inventiveness in their work. The many actors that make up these companies, including a number of world-class players, contribute to its expansion and generate significant benefits for the region’s economy.
Fashion: a generator of growth
Montréal’s fashion industry is a booming sector. Its success lies in the recognized expertise of its designers, manufacturers and retailers, as well as the vitality of the Montréal business environment.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the Québec industry still concentrated on manufacturing, but it has since modernized and turned to new business models that continue to evolve to maintain and increase its competitiveness. The leading-edge innovations and technologies are transforming this industry and its professions, which count on a stimulating and collaborative environment to stand out on the world stage, as well as the creativity and know-how of its labour force.
The employment outlook for the coming years is promising. The fashion industry will need to fill certain positions to provide a succession for businesses. They will be looking for skilled, diversified workers prepared to evolve in a sector that is open and turned toward the future. As a result, the Québec fashion industry offers attractive career opportunities.
Interested in this subject?
Read more:
Québec fashion: looking to the future
Changes in the fashion industry
Innovation in fashion
Click here for more information and to see the report produced by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, in partnership with mmode – the metropolitan fashion cluster, and the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale.
[4] This value excludes retail, wholesaler-distributor and department store operations.