Posts

October 10th, 2025

      CAF Bulletin, October 10, 2025 As the holidays approach, the Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF) is ramping up activities to respond to the changing dynamics in the North American marketplace. In particular, we are working to provide information and solutions to firms impacted by the end of duty-free shipments to the US, under the de minimis program.   The end of the de minimis exemption is impacting hundreds of firms, big and small.  If your firm is impacted …

October 9th, 2025

CAF is ramping up activities to respond to the changing dynamics in the North American marketplace. In particular, we are working to provide solutions to firms impacted by the end of duty-free shipments to the US, under the de minimis.   If your firm is impacted by these changes, keep an eye out for our survey on the impact of the end of the US de minimis program due out in a week or so. Our newsletter this week includes …

October 8th, 2025

The Canadian Apparel Federation is relaunching live product compliance / product integrity workshops in different cities across Canada.  The first of these events took place on September 24 in Vancouver.  While delivered on short notice the event featured excellent speakers from SGS, KPMG , Claigan Environmental, Trustrace and ITL - and the event was well-received by participants. Our thanks to Kwantlen Polytechnic University for hosting the event.   We are scheduling similar events in early December in Toronto, and in April …

October 8th, 2025

Firms have until November 3rd to provide comments to the Canadian government on the renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). CUSMA entered into force on July 1, 2020, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that had been in force since January 1, 1994.  Trilateral free trade, under CUSMA and NAFTA before it, has provided certainty for business and investors for more than thirty years.  Article 34.7 allows the Parties to assess the operation of CUSMA and ensure …

October 8th, 2025

OEKO-TEX® is proud to announce the release of The Fashion Stitch – On Fabrics, Facts and Feelings, a new storytelling podcast exploring the complex environmental and social realities behind the clothes we wear. The six-part English-language series is co-produced with Berlin-based Fashion Changers and hosted by journalist and sustainability advocate Clare Press. With stories from Los Angeles to Bangladesh, the series combines historical perspective, scientific innovation and lived experience to connect business and consumer audiences with the people shaping fashion’s …

October 8th, 2025

At Accent Labels, we believe the smallest details make the biggest impact. As a trusted partner of the CAF for brands across fashion, lifestyle, and beyond, - we specialize in creating custom woven, printed, specialty labels & content care labels that not only identify a product but also tell a story.  Founded on the idea that branding should be as functional as it is beautiful, it's no surprise that at Accent we love and appreciate nice things all while maintaining operational excellence. Accent Labels works …

September 10th, 2025

The United States has initiated major changes to tariff policies in place for most of the last 50 Years. New, exceedingly high tariffs are placing huge stress on the global apparel supply chain. How does this impact the industry in Canada, the U.S. & major sourcing countries?  These topics will be the subject of a panel discussion at ATSC in Toronto. Global Tariffs and Trade in Flux: The consequences of new trade policies - perspectives from suppliers and importers will be held …

August 27th, 2025

The Canadian Apparel Federation hosted a webinar featuring a service available to companies selling in the European market.  Gateway to Europe offered a range of services to Canadian companies to streamline and support their business growth in Europe. It is tailored to the needs of small-medium sized apparel companies looking to sell in Europe, and to simplify the process. The webinar was presented on September 4, 2025, and the recording is available in the CAF webinar archive:  https://www.caf-fcv.ca/webinars/gateway-to-europe/.   SPONSOR

August 26th, 2025

Since 1986, with a wealth of collection and litigation experience, ACA has provided professional collection services - while always remaining accessible to our clients. Specializing in commercial collections with access to a team of experienced litigators across Canada and the United States as well as resources to handle International files. As a new client of ACA’s collection services, CAF Members receive a 10% discount on their first 2 files placed with ACA.  For more information on this program contact:  David …

August 25th, 2025

On August 22, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada will eliminate all retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods covered under the Canada–U.S.–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), effective September 1, 2025. This action will remove the 25% retaliatory tariff currently in place covering apparel made in the US and exported to Canada, provided they are USMCA/CUSMA-compliant. The tariffs likely had minimal impact:  US government stats show US exports of apparel to Canada are down 5% to the end of June. Retaliatory tariffs …