By Emily Yeap
While many Canadian clothing companies are taking advantage of cheap labour in developing countries, a few Ottawa businesses still take pride in making and selling Canadian-made clothes.
Despite increased overseas competition, Giacinto (Gino) Campagna, founder and owner of Sportive Sportswear on Loretta Avenue, says he makes all of his clothes in Ottawa.
“Since we started 20 years ago, we never imported nothing — not even a piece of fabric,” says Campagna, whose company makes winter clothing as well as apparel such as uniforms and parkas for the military and RCMP.
James Lamey bought Accent Logo & Stitches last November to manufacture clothes for Norml Clothing, a Byward Market streetwear store he started with partner Yann Darevic four years ago.
Lamey says while Accent Logo buys some pre-made generic materials, like T-shirts, it does all the embroidery and printing.
“It’s great that we do our own manufacturing because we can make exactly what we need, whether it’s 12, 24 or 36 pieces,” Lamey says. “If you order from places like China, you have to order large amounts in the hundreds and thousands, store them in a warehouse and worry about moving the stock.”
Darevic says having access to machines is definitely convenient.
“We can make samples to try them in our store, get feedback on it — if the colours are good, not good, if the sizing is right or wrong, and then we can make the adjustments and manufacture it ourselves in a bigger run.”
But Campagna and Lamey say manufacturing in Canada does have its drawbacks. Besides overseas competition, there is insufficient skilled labour in the industry.
“What is happening now is that the skill to make clothes is less and less and less and the new generation don’t want to be a part of the industry,” Campagna says.
While six of his 20 employees have worked for him for the past 15 years, the rest frequently come and go.
“They can be here today, but if they find something else, they’re gone tomorrow,” he says. “They’re not here for the passion of sewing. They’re here for the cheque.”
Lamey agrees it’s difficult retaining employees, especially younger ones, mainly due to the work’s tedious nature, but he’s managed to keep six staff between the ages of 18 and 23.
“My philosophy is to make them a part of the company. And they are — they are a huge part of the company. As long as you can make them feel that way and treat them that way then you will be successful.”
He adds that the thing keeping his staff excited about their jobs is the experience of helping turn a plain piece of fabric into a finished product that’s not only displayed in the store, but also worn on the streets.
“Once the whole thing is put together, they’re like, ‘Wow!’”
Campagna and Lamey say they’ve managed to survive the industry’s challenges mainly because they’re small operations.
“I don’t have a big office and I’m the owner, manager, designer, sewing department supervisor, sewing instructor, buyer, salesman,” Campagna laughs. “I wear all the hats, so that’s why I can survive.”
But he admits the profit margin is declining and there’s not much opportunity for expanding, purchasing new equipment, or better employee wages and benefits.
Lamey says because smaller companies don’t deal in bulk, they aren’t as pressured as mass producers to find cheap skilled labour.
He says there are also risks involved in relying on overseas manufacturers, such as language barriers and many foreign manufacturers’ relative obscurity.
“You have no clue if they’re working out of a basement or a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing plant,” he says.
Fünf Funk Boutik, an independent clothing store on Bank Street that specializes in club wear and underground clothing, carries 80-per-cent Canadian-made merchandise and supports Canadian designers and manufacturers like The People Have Spoken in Toronto, Geek Boutique in Montreal and Airline in Ottawa.
Manager Natalie Barber says while Canadian-made clothes are more expensive, their quality is better and their quantity is limited.
“You’re paying for the uniqueness of clothing, you’re paying for people not wearing the same thing as you have, and you’re paying for the spectacular fit.”