TRILLIUM spotlight GBC Fashion Exchange

16 Jan TRILLIUM spotlight GBC Fashion Exchange

George Brown College (GBC) Fashion Exchange (FX) fosters collaboration between fashion educators, industry partners, community organizations, and fashion students from their location in Regent Park, Toronto, Ontario. FX aims to develop a sustainable, socially conscious, and economically viable fashion industry.  Recognizing gaps in available talent within the Ontario apparel industry; FX developed new programs to prepare qualified graduates with the missing skills to enter the workforce. Because most small and medium-sized local fashion companies were unable to find contractors willing to manufacture products in smaller order quantities, FX responded by creating a production facility to manufacture small runs at a fair price; helping firms move past the initial stages of growth. Leveraging experience with applied research projects, FX is now expanding research capabilities to support local companies with technology adoption and sustainability related challenges.

Following extensive industry and community consultation regarding challenges, forces of change, and the impact of issues surrounding sustainability and technology adoption; the concept of a community based, industry accessible, education hub for fashion emerged.  Education programming start-up was solidified with successful application to the Ontario Government’s Youth Skills Connections (YSC) Industry Stream grant, obtained with the support of 29 fashion industry partners in the Greater Toronto Area. New entry level programs for Apparel Fit Technician curriculum and Industrial Power Sewing were established and delivered starting in 2015. Grand opening of the new facility at 63 Regent Park Boulevard occurred March 2016. Over the next two years, additional Graduate Certificate programs in Sustainable Fashion Production and Apparel Technical Design were developed and launched in September 2017. Marilyn McNeil-Morin, GBC Chair Fashion Studies, led the initiative from inception and became full time Director Fashion Exchange in 2017. Gagan Singh, Production Manager, joined Fashion Exchange in fall 2016 to develop the manufacturing operation to provide sample and short run apparel production for local fashion industry companies.  Presently over 70 start-ups and SMEs are counted among FX clients.  Industry partners are also active in providing field placements and employment to FX students and graduates and ongoing input on the development of education programs.  Women in Fashion Technology is the newest employment program and is a one-year employment program for women to become digital technology machine operators.

All FX programs are unique and were developed to fill voids in skills needed by industry. Industrial Power Sewing trains industrial production sewers for the newly revitalized local apparel production industry. Apparel Fit Technician was created with the partnership of Stitch It to provide front line customer service technicians for alteration shops and retail fitting rooms.  Students in this program diagnose and correct fitting problems on ready to wear garments. Women in Fashion Technology trains machine operators for laser cutting, dye sublimation printing, embroidery and knitting where digital skills are used to program and operate equipment. Sustainable Fashion Production program examines the entire apparel supply chain to improve the environmental and ethical footprint of apparel products, while maintaining quality and economic viability for companies who practise sustainable choices. Apparel Technical Design graduates utilize technology to produce an apparel collection and experience the full production cycle, for a complete working knowledge of fashion product development and manufacturing phases.

FX prides itself on creating curricula that give students essential, relevant skills to quickly obtain employment and become productive in the fashion industry. Along with course-specific learning outcome requirements, students gain essential soft skills such as communication, resume preparation, interview, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. All programs include field placement, providing students with industry experience in the workplace of an industry partner. Through the generosity of corporate donors and government grants, entry level employment programs are offered at no cost to qualified applicants.

As a response to the often-cited challenge to find local, affordable sample and small run production; FX initiated manufacturing to bridge that gap. Prior to this, new fashion companies were unable to afford large production orders, and either lost money attempting to go to market or could not proceed. FX offers fee for service that covers costs but does not undercut local manufacturers. The goal is to allow smaller companies to manufacture right size quantities, allowing them to grow and eventually outgrow their need for FX. As a result, industry capacity is increased, as expanding companies require additional talent to support their growth. FX production team members are all experienced professionals, ensuring high-quality results and client satisfaction. Pattern making, digitizing, grading, marker making, technical packages, and cut and sew services are provided.

With concerns over the difficulty to manage control of quality and cost in offshore production, many local designers prefer to manufacture locally. They value honesty, transparency, access to their product, reduced time to market and lower shipping costs they can experience when they produce with a trusted local manufacturer. FX ensures that the client is constantly involved in the design and production process, also offering mentorship in design and product development when needed.

FX is well-integrated within the community as many residents benefited from training programs and from participation at FX learning events such as a Kimono Upcycling Workshop and Natural Dye Workshop. A new proposed “Hidden Talents” initiative would connect local artisans with companies to utilize their skills in their products and thereby provide employment for artisans. Workshops to share traditional skills would provide cross-cultural community building and preserve culture for the next generation.

The next phase for FX is expansion of applied research capacity through FX Leading Innovation in Fashion Technology (LIFT) equipment, obtained through federal and provincial infrastructure funding. FX LIFT and the School of Fashion collaborate with industry partners to resolve specific challenges related to the full spectrum of the product lifecycle from design to post consumer textile waste recycling. The new technology lab at FX will include research opportunities in laser cutting, 3D body scanning, dye sublimation printing, and technical embroidery (smart textiles and wearables) and on-demand custom manufacturing. Experimentation with new technologies to enhance creativity, uniqueness, quality, reduce time to market, and improve process will in turn allow companies to compete more effectively in the apparel sector. Textile waste research includes technology for sorting, shredding and textile recycling to meet the goal for a circular economy in textiles.  The School of Fashion Textile Testing Lab will be expanded and outfitted with standard conditions-controlled environment and additional equipment to supplement research capabilities and provide added service to industry partners.

As a full-service production facility backed by a team of expert production and faculty members, FX is ready to collaborate with companies, individuals and organizations for products, projects and education programs to build an even more vibrant fashion industry and community.