Why Toronto Is It

For young fashion designers, a critical choice must be made after fashion design school: where to go to build a career. There are several possibilities in North America--and several reasons why Toronto has made it onto the short list in the past decade.

Toronto: Isn't That in Canada Somewhere?

Toronto is an established fashion design outpost, known for its glamorous fashion district, its many design jobs and its international fashion schools. Several multimillion-dollar fashion houses call Toronto home.
When discussing the contribution to international fashion that Canada makes, designers Doha Chebib and Lindsay Sutton told the Calgary Sun that Toronto was the the only place to be in Canada's fashion industry. Canada's fashion media and TV shows, they said, are "only about Toronto."

On Spadina

Spadina Avenue, in Toronto's garment district, is teeming with designers, students, garment workers and bargain hunters, making it the only Canadian city to rival its more famous southeastern cousin, New York. Fashion reviewers have likened the garment district and Spadina Avenue to New York's famous Soho district.

Fashion Leadership

Another thing that makes Toronto an exceptional place for fashion design is the passion of its design leaders. The president of one of the largest international design schools in Toronto wrote an article for the the Toronto Star calling for more risk-taking and boundary-breaking in Toronto design.
Industry leaders in Toronto have created a strong arts council, a new annual festival to debut next year called the Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity, and an economy of fashion design jobs that offers young designers an alternative to New York. For fashion schools, jobs and the latest designs, Toronto is the place to be in Canada.
Sources
The Calgary Sun
The Toronto Star
Boulevards: Toronto

Joe Cooper is a freelance education and technology writer and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor's in American Literature from UCLA.