Canada Employment

Finding work in the Canadian fashion industry starts with the people who hire for it. This page lists an employment agency that recruits specifically for textiles and fashion in Canada, and points to two further resources: a dedicated fashion job search site, and the directory of fashion schools in Canada for readers who want training before, or alongside, a job search.

Colintex Placements, the agency listed below, is a Toronto recruiter specializing in the textile and fashion industry. Its placements sit on the commercial side of the trade - the wholesale and retail areas - rather than in design studios or factories, and the seniority range is unusually wide: positions vary from entry level all the way up to presidents of companies. For a candidate, that range matters because the same agency can be relevant at the start of a career and again at its most senior steps; for an employer, it means one recruiter covering a whole wholesale or retail organization, from the sales floor and showroom up to the head office.

Wholesale fashion work in Canada means selling a line to retailers: showroom sales, territory representation, merchandising and the head-office roles that support them. Retail work runs from store positions through to buying, management and executive roles. Both sides are concentrated in the same cities that anchor the Canada clothing industry directory - Montreal and Toronto first, with Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg also represented among the listed companies - so a job search and a company search naturally go together. Reading the company listings on the main Canada page and on the second directory page is a practical way to learn which Canadian manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers exist before approaching an agency or applying.

Training is the other route in. The fashion schools in Canada directory lists Canadian fashion education, and the schools among the company listings show the range on offer: Ryerson University's School of Fashion in Toronto, with its Fashion Design and Fashion Communication degree options, and the Blanche Macdonald Centre, teaching fashion design and fashion merchandising since 1960. Montreal Fashion Week and the wider Canada fashion weeks are also worth a candidate's attention: they are where Canadian labels show their work, and following them is a simple way to learn the names and seasons of the industry you want to join.

Employment Agencies for Apparel and Fashion in Canada

You may also have luck searching for a fashion career in Canada at the Fashion Job Search website.