Retailers, buying offices, distributors, and sales agents are invited to visit Showroom Canada, for the fall/winter 2023 buying season.

Showroom Canada officially opened its online wholesale platform on February 1, 2023. Hosted on JOOR, the world’s leading digital wholesale platform, the B2B online event features dedicated showrooms for each of the 17 Canadian brands selected to take part until March 31, 2023,

The impressive roster of Canadian-based ready-to-wear apparel, jewellery, and accessory brands will be presenting their collections to retailers, buying offices, and sales agencies from around the world. The Showroom Canada initiative was created by TFI, is held in collaboration with the Canadian Apparel Federation, and is supported by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada.

The 17 participating brands range from ready-to-wear apparel to accessories and fine jewellery. Global retailers and buyers will have access to virtual showrooms by apparel designers Adam X Atelier, Amanda Maria, AYRTIGHT, Cape de Coeur, Claudette Floyd, Gully Klassics, Helene Clarkson, Nadya Toto, Poplin & Co., Rock ‘N Karma, Shelli Oh, and Woodpecker, as well as accessory and fine jewellery brands Espe, Beblue Bijoux, Hania Kuzbari Jewelry, NVR NUDE, and Sanaz Doost.

This curation of Canadian brands is highly sought-after by popular global figures. Notable celebrity stylings include Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore in Nadya Toto, Justin and Hailey Bieber in Woodpecker, Jessica Chastain in Cape de Coeur, Drake and Cardi B in Gully Klassics, and Alli Chung in Hania Kuzbari. 

First launched in February 2021, Showroom Canada is Canada’s first digital fashion showroom. Last year’s initiative was visited by 1,146 retailers from 28 countries and generated more than 1.4 million gross media impressions from publications including WWD, The Industry, Retail Insider, Business of Fashion, Millionair Magazine, Drapers and more.

Click here to view the Showroom Canada 2023 designer images and to learn more about the brands. To explore Showroom Canada 2023, visit joorpassport.com.

JOOR is the world’s leading wholesale management platform, with nearly $20 billion in wholesale transactions processed annually. More than 13,900 brands and 580,000 buyers across 150 countries connect on the platform. 

If you're a Black entrepreneur aged 18 to 39, you can apply for up to $60,000 in startup loan financing from BDC through its startup program. The program, delivered by Futurpreneur, provides participants with two years of mentorship, access to an interactive business plan writer, opportunities to engage with a national network of Black entrepreneurs, leaders, and Black-led community organizations at a range of entrepreneurship events, and an option to apply for up to $40,000 in follow-on financing funded by RBC, based on the first two years of successful business performance.

Click here to apply.

EDC's Retail Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP) equips immigrant women, women of colour, and Black Canadian women entrepreneurs with the tools to get their products onto retail shelves.

If interested, click here.

The RBC Future Launch Scholarship could help you take your next step toward a better job. This scholarship is for anyone from ages 15 to 29 who wants to learn something new.

Click here for more info.

Click here for more information.

The City of Toronto’s Small Business Enterprise Centre will be launching applications for the 2023 Starter Company Plus Grant in March. The program supports small business owners and entrepreneurs through training, advice, and funding.

The virtual session happening on March 8, 2023, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm, will provide helpful information for potential applicants including program eligibility and application deadlines.DYK? You can use the grant towards a studio rental at TFI or to join our Outreach membership program.

Learn more and register here.

If you're a TFI member aged 35 years or younger, email us before March 2, 2023, for a chance to attend the Imagine Summit presented by RBC.

In celebration of International Women’s Month, this year’s theme will focus on creating a new vision for creative industries, building award-winning teams, and amplifying the impact of our digital brand globally. Keynote speakers include Grammy award-winning singer/ songwriter Melanie Fiona and Vanessa Craft, the Global Head of Lifestyle at TikTok and former Editor-in-Chief at Elle Canada.

Be one of 10 lucky TFI members by emailing us before March 2nd. You must be aged 16 to 35. Tickets are non-transferable.

Hilary Alexander was one of the United Kingdom's most respected fashion journalists. She enjoyed viewing new brands and start-ups and was a regular attendee at TFI's London Fashion Week showcase of Canadian design which was held at Canada House for five seasons beginning in February 2018.

There are only a few days left to catch Art-Couture, an exhibition of the work of renowned Quebec fashion designer Jean-Claude Poitras. Held at the Quebecor Gallery in Montreal at 612 rue Saint-Jacques, Art-Couture features 40 works from the designer organized into three collections. Fifty years after the opening of his first workshop, Poitras is still reinventing himself. His art is at the intersection of fashion design and visual arts, spanning painting and embroidery on fabric canvases, impressive sculptures of bustiers, sketches on textured paper, and more.

The multidisciplinary exhibition is on until February 28, 2023. The gallery is open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Free admission. Click here for more details.

Enjoy an exciting evening of fashion, food, and music on March 23, 2023, at Rebel, 11 Polson St., Toronto.

Tickets range from $25 for general admission to $275 for VIP. Click here for details.

On February 7, 2023, the fashion industry lost another legendary designer. Paco Rabanne, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, was known for his futuristic designs. Most famously, he created Jane Fonda's space-age look in the sci-fi film Barbarella in 1968.

At the first annual Style & Apparel Awards hosted by LUXLife magazine, TFI won the "Innovative Fashion Incubator Company of the Year - Canada" award for 2022. The Style & Apparel Awards internal research team assessed and fact-checked each nomination. They also gathered additional findings from online resources available in the public domain, such as brand history, services, products, social media, presence within the industry, reviews, and more. The final selection was made based on evidence of expertise within a given field, dedication to customer/ client service, satisfaction, and retention, and an ongoing commitment to providing excellent work.

LUXlife magazine is a premium lifestyle publication that was founded in 2015 by the publishing company AI Global Media Ltd.

From March 6 - 28, 2023, the City of Toronto invites you to celebrate Toronto's culture and diversity by attending events highlighting local musicians, artists, and the small business that define our city.

It's also a great opportunity to support local designers and artisans. Check out the Toronto Made Market pop-up on March 12, 2023, at the Daniels Spectrum. Meet, shop, and connect with 70 local Toronto-based vendors selling jewellery, apparel, accessories, sweet treats, bath and beauty, health, and wellness.

For a full listing of events, click here.