The Ability to Create

From late 1973 to mid-1975, I worked at the corner of St-Laurent and St-Viateur. In the late seventies, I worked on Chabanel Street. In that era, much of the clothing that we wore in Canada was still designed and made in those areas of Montreal. And, it was there that I learnt to admire the ability to create.

My Informal Business Degree

The garment trade granted me my informal business degree.  It helped me understand the secondary  importance of the business and finance professionals. Gordie Burnett taught us that our vocation as lenders to the clothing industry required:

• an understanding of the creation process
• our support of designers and manufacturers throughout the production and sales cycle.

We did have an important role. However, the designers and the manufacturers were at the top of the pyramid. Without them, we had no role. He is also famous for saying said that a college grad that wouldn’t make photocopies or occasionally act as a messenger was of little use. But I am not sure that a self-important “college boy” didn’t last a day with Gordie because he wouldn’t perform some menial task assigned him. 

Losing some of the Ability to Create

The garment trade had started to evolve and more manufacturing was moving offshore. Still, many of the original importers were former manufacturers and continued to control the creative process. The garments were designed in Montréal and sewn in China or India with textiles fabricated in Japan or Italy. Mass manufacturing in “cheap labour” countries grew to satisfy the consumer appetite for cheap fast fashion. As a consequence, the number of designers dwindled and  much of our manufacturing expertise was lost. Skilled cutters and machine operators were fast disappearing as call centres replaced factories. The “rag trade” is just one example of how we surrendered much of our ability to create in exchange for a service economy. 

Develop the Ability to Create

I started my working life in 1962, delivering newspapers.  I have been working for  over sixty years without any gaps. Over the last thirty years, I have counselled many young people with a focus on career progression, work experience, and the continuation of their education. I started to realize that we were churning out B.Comm. clones, many of whom thought that the next logical step should be get an MBA. My frequently asked question was “Do you really want a double B. Comm?” The question was probably an over simplification but frequently not. I have suggested that attending law school was a good option, not to become a lawyer but to develop reasoning and problem solving skills.

Today I ask….

“What can you make? ” and follow up with “How would you earn a living from that ability or trade?” And advice: “Develop your ability to create”.

We can still design and make clothes in Canada

• Arcteryx has its head office in British Columbia. t designs its outerwear line  and it manufactures about one third of products Canada. 
• Canada Goose encourages indigenous designers and claims that it makes 100% of its core product, down-filled coats in six factories in Canada. 
• Québec manufacturers, Quartz and Kanuk, design and manufacture in Ste-Hyacinthe and Montéal
• Canadian companies such as Peerless Clothing, Samuelsohn, and Empire Clothing continue the tradition of making of men’s fine wool suits and jackets in Montréal. 
• Atelier B (100%), Frank Lyman (98%), Judith and Charles (80%), and Joseph Ribkoff (100%) manufacture high quality women’s wear in Canada at the indicated percentages. 

These makers have global reputations for high quality and excellence.