Industry News
In this section we have gathered some of the most popular information sources, such as trade journals, magazines, blogs, and association websites. Industry information is always changing. For the latest news, current issues and popular opinions, try following one or more of these sources. In addition, interacting with the websites that provide this information through commenting and asking questions may also provide you with more information.
Associations
Trade associations often publish free industry newsletters that are excellent sources of information for your business plan. Such newsletters often have articles that cover in-depth topics on business management, manufacturing practices, how-tos, and current industry news.
Canadian Associations
-
BC Apparel and Gear |A collective of BC apparel and gear manufacturers and professionals dedicated to reaching growth and sustainability goals for the industry together. Check our their industry events and training opportunities.
Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF) | Includes industry specific information for Canada, as well as an International Trade section for information on apparel industry import and export procedures, as well as The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing.
Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) | A non-government, not-for-profit national association, the FDCC works to market fashion designers nationally and globally. The FDCC has built a fashion week that is regarded as an international event showcasing Canadian design.
Toronto Fashion Incubator | A non-profit organization that supports Canadian fashion designers and entrepreneurs. The site includes a Resources section that includes links on promoting and producing your clothing line.
International Associations
-
Fashion Group International, Inc. (FGI) | An international fashion organization that has a blog, webinars and advertises fashion events around the world.
Fashion Revolution | An international organization founded in 2013 that supports the world’s largest fashion activism movement, celebrating fashion while advocating for sustainability in the industry as well as fair pay and conditions for garment workers.
Magazines & Trade Journals
Trade associations often publish free industry newsletters that are excellent sources of information for business planning. Such newsletters often have articles that cover in-depth topics on business management, manufacturing practices, how-tos, and current industry news.
-
Fashion Magazine | Canadian-based magazine that covers the international fashion industry. Features articles on designers, retailers and spa owners. Publishes 10 issues per year.
Textile World | A magazine covering technologies, applications and industry trends, from raw materials to finished products. Print editions, digital editions, and e-newsletters are free to textile professionals residing in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.
LifeStyle Monitor | A trade publication by Cotton Incorporated that analyzes consumer behaviors and attitudes toward the apparel and textile industries.
Fashion Guide | An RSS news feed that collects and summarizes the latest news in fashion from newspapers across the world.
Just-Style.com | just-style.com is the online news, insight and research portal for the apparel and textile industry.
Consultant & Other Websites
PriceWaterhouse Coopers Canada (PwC) | Global consultancy firm that produces reports on the state of various industries.
Firsthand | A free source of industry information. Use the Industry Profiles to research growing industries and best industries by major, and Company Rankings and Profiles to find news, company information, and industry-specific sample professions. Basic monthly membership is free and offers access to blogs, discussion forums, and job listings.
Blogs & Podcasts
These blogs and podcasts, mostly centered in the U.S., cover a broad swath of opportunities, challenges, and issues facing the worldwide fashion industry, while allowing prospective fashion designers a peek into the homes, closets, and journeys of fashion icons and the people who make the industry run.
Blogs
On the Runway | A subsidiary of the New York Times, this fashion blog written by Venessa Friedman has a very editorial tone and covers everything related to the fashion industry.
Coveteur | Gives a behind-the-scenes look at the world of fashion and even explores the homes and closets of famous fashionistas.
The Fashion Student Hub | Run as an arm of Mark and Cheryl Gregory’s We Teach Fashion courses, this blog geared toward fashion students advises them on everything from how to run a successful fashion business to how to develop industry skills for free.
The Sartorialist | Scott Schuman’s The Sartorialist interrogates the relationship of fashion to daily life through show-stopping, candid photographs.
Podcasts
The Business of Fashion Podcast | An essential daily resource for fashion creatives, entrepreneurs, and executives in over 200 countries, the Business of Fashion podcast covers topics from psychological debriefs on how fashion consumers buy articles to the fashion industry’s intersection with current events.
Fashion No Filter | Fashion journalists Camille Charriere and Monica Ainley give you a unique, behind the scenes look at how the fashion industry operates. They cover everything from sustainability in a fashion industry that has become wasteful over the last few decades to honest conversations about race and fashion.
Fashion Conversations Podcast | Bronwyn Cosgrave’s bi-weekly interview series features lively discussions with artistic luminaries working at the forefront of fashion. Her guests are leading designers, best-selling authors, filmmakers, museum curators and Hollywood stylists, who reveal the secrets to their artistry, thoughts on social issues impacting fashion and the personal challenges they’ve overcome realizing their dreams.
WARDROBE CRISIS with Clare Press | From Vogue Magazine’s former sustainability editor comes a fashion podcast about sustainability, ethical fashion, and making a difference in the world within the industry. Press tackles the issues facing fashion through interviews with international guests, who share their personal stories and journeys through the industry and talk about what causes are near to their hearts within it. Guests have included Japanese-Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa and Ineke Zeldenrust of the Clean Clothes Campaign.
TIP: As with all sources, news articles and blogs should be carefully evaluated. For information on how to evaluate your information, watch video tutorial Module Five: Using Information Responsibly.