BCAG, in partnership with NW Skills is offering a free 8-week hands on training program to help you start your career with local apparel companies looking to hire graduates at the end. Training includes financial supports for transportation, food, childcare, and accommodation as needed.
Email Ravi to learn more and enroll.
Why are we passionate about our community?
The BCAG is excited to host our Spring Get Together event on April 13th, 2023.
This event will bring together individuals, organizations and business from across our community who are passionate about creating a future that supports all our growth and sustainability goals.
As our board prepares to welcome our friends, associates and peers we reflected on some of the things that drive and inspire us about this community.
What is your favorite BCAG event memory?
“My favorite BCAG event memory was the launch event at Emily Carr in early 2020. There was so much excitement and ambition in the room. We had stakeholders and players from across the industry and I felt like I was part of something really important that was going to fuel collaboration and holistically elevate the cachet of our industry here in BC.” – Max Feldman
What is your favourite part of the BCAG community?
“What I like about the BCAG community is that it’s welcoming to people and businesses at all stages. Whether you’re new to the industry, a small business just starting out or you’re an established professional with 20+ years experience, the association is here to support you in your business growth and career. I always like meeting new people whenever I’m at one of their events.” – Glynis Tao
What have you seen evolve in the past few years that gets you excited about our path forward?
“The most exciting evolution within our industry in the past few years has been the amazingly altruistic development of Pre-Competitive Collaboration! Watching our local Educators group form and reach out to us at BCAG to work together and seeing Industry leaders come forward to share and collude for the future and betterment of our BC Industry is fantastic! I am excited to see our Association and Industry grow and work together for a Sustainable future.” – Paul King
Layoffs and Leadership
Article headquarters, Vancouver, BC
August was a dismal month for several, well known BC companies who cumulatively laid off over 600 staff. First it was Unbounce, a Vancouver-based tech company who shed 20% of its workforce - nearly 50 people. Shortly after, came trendy, direct-to-consumer furniture supplier Article who said goodby to 216 of their staff. Finally, Hootsuite, another tech firm specialising in social media engagement solutions, cut nearly a full third of its workforce - 350 people.
Layoffs have been a common story since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, which saw a dramatic spike in companies - especially those in industries which relied upon physical customers - cutting staff in an effort to stay in business. At the beginning of the pandemic, from February to June 2020, 12.4% of Canadian paid workers to be laid off. This figure is 4 - 5x higher than in other periods of downturn per Canadian government stats. While the figures are no longer as dramatic two years later, the lingering pandemic, rising inflation, the war in Ukraine and threat of recession are adding additional pressure for many companies.
What seems to be unique about these recent layoffs is not the volume or sequence of the dismissals but rather the role that companies are playing in supporting their departing staff. While it was common for companies to provide generous severance packages and discreet job search support to outgoing staff, these recent layoffs show leaders and CEOs actively working to help folks land on their feet.
Unbounce’s CEO, Felicia Bochiccio was very active on LinkedIn, working to (successfully) place her talented staff into new roles. Bochiccio’s company put together a google doc with all active job seekers and Bochiccio made a point to respond to every comment on her LinkedIn posts regarding the layoffs.
Similarly, Article’s leadership team put together a comprehensive google doc of all outgoing staff in an effort to help soften the transition. CEO Aamir Baig published a public business update showing both empathy and action by extending laid off employee’s benefits, allowing them to keep their equipment, supporting their job searches and offering to speak personally to each outgoing individual.
In a fine example from our industry, BCAG’s own Alexandra Plante recently stepped up to offer her network, support and guidance to recently laid off and furloughed employees.
While layoffs are common in most business contexts, they are not essential when times are tough and exemplary leaders often have many tools in their kit to avoid such a dramatic approach. However, like other periods of significant disruption, letting go of staff may be the only available option to ensure business sustainability. When unavoidable, a new model of empathetic leadership, coupled with powerful engagement tools can ease the burden and support laid off workers in the process. While a seemingly simple approach, some leaders don’t always get it right…
We are always looking for inspiring stories from our member community. If you would like to share an example of exemplary leadership within the BC Apparel and Gear community, please send us a note.
Member Spotlight - Simply Merino
Alex Moret, Shannon Dixon and their kids
Owners/Operators - Simply Merino
We had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Shannon Dixon and Alex Moret, the dynamic team behind the success of Simply Merino. Simply Merino was born out of the desire to create a product that was better for their family and better for the planet. After a casual chat with a friend who no longer had a desire to run her business, Shannon and Alex decided to take the plunge to purchase the business and over the past 7 years have built it into the success it is today.
Can you tell us the origins of your business?
Shannon - I was working as a teacher and a friend with a small kids apparel business decided she no longer had a desire to run it. I said to Alex ‘Do we want to do this?’ and our journey began. We had two small children at the time, and being aware of the materials used in kids' sleepwear, and knowing that fire retardant chemicals are added to the materials, acquiring Simply Merino was a natural decision.
What is your vision for SImply Merino?
Our mission is to produce well made, beautiful, and functional garments made only from 100% Merino wool. We have a zero-waste goal for everything that we produce.
June 23rd 2022 Networking Event
In celebration of the summer, as a thank you to our members, please join us for an evening of reconnecting...in person!
The BC Apparel and Gear would like to invite its members (and invite soon to be members), to an evening of reconnecting and making new industry connections! As the 2nd ever in-person event put on by the BC Apparel and Gear Association, it is high time, we celebrate this amazing industry.
The board will give an update on its many exciting projects that will invest in developing and attracting world-class talent and scaling the growth and achieve sustainable global competitiveness of our industry.
Refreshments will be served.
June 23rd 2022
5pm - 7pm
Unit 340 - 1275 Venables St.
Vancouver, BC, V6A 2C9
Member Spotlight
Norm Bishop - EdwardsX
Can you tell us about the origins of your business?
Our journey with EdwardsX started in 1997 when we bought the company from Orbit Intl. At that time, we were known as Symax, which is a portmanteau of Syd & Max Ipshits, the original owners who founded the company in the 1940s.
My wife Carolyn and I knew that we wanted to own our own business and we had some experience with fashion and sales. While we didn’t set out to buy a clothing company, we were interested in the industry and Symax seemed like a great fit. For us, ownership was less about building something huge and more about having something of our own and a lifestyle that worked for our growing family.
What was your vision in creating EdwardsX?
I don’t think we had a clear vision for what we could create. Rather, it was all about doing something interesting that we could call our own. Carolyn, a CPA by trade would handle the finances while I would use my consumer-packaged goods expertise to handle the product and sales side. Read more...
The BC Apparel and Gear Association 2022 AGM: March 16th 2022
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
The BC Apparel and Gear Association AGM will be held via zoom call on
March 16th, 2022
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Motion to approve agenda
2022 Board Nominations
Approve minutes from 2021
Update from the board
Financial Report
New Business
Introduce our NEW Executive Director!
with special guest speaker, Lina Gomez from Debrand Services
Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bcag-agm-2022-march-16-2022-registration-275846994787
BCAG Webinar: E-Commerce from Canada to USA made easy and border free!
If you missed our Webinar today, you can catch up here and passcode 6XAHU+Pi
Dave Pentland from Carson International guides us through the new information to the industry. If you are an SME looking to increase your ecomm sales into the United States from Canada, listen to this BCAG session that will address the SEC 321 of the US Customs Act that allows exporters to ship on a daily basis individual orders , duty, tax and processing free to US Customers.
AGM March 11th 2021
The BC Apparel and Gear Association AGM will be held via zoom call on
March 11th, 2021
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Motion to approve agenda
Introduce the 2020 Board
Approve minutes from 2020
Update from the board
Financial Report
Plan for Election of Directors
New Business
with special guest speakers from
Ascent Public Affairs and Textile Lab for Circularity
Kimanda Jarzebiak Sara Blenkhorn
Member Spotlight and Job Opportunity: Bishop, an Edwards Company
Bishops have been an active member of the BC Apparel and Gear Association from the beginning and since 1997 Bishop Custom Clothing has Outfitted the World’s Top Companies, from East Vancouver. Working closely with select creative agency partners, top businesses and retail brands trust us to deliver exactly what they want when they need it, from complex uniform programs to unique limited edition styles.
The Bishop’s team are looking for a Sales and Customer Support Coordinator, here’s a snapshot and links to apply:
Do you have a passion for fashion and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment? Do you take pride in successfully handling many projects and meeting time-lines simultaneously? Are you recognized and known for your excellent customer service skills whereby you are interacting with customers (both internal and external) on a regular basis?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, apply here because the Sales and Customer Support Coordinator position at Bishop, an Edwards Company, maybe for you. Located in the heart of East Vancouver, Bishop Custom Clothing specializes in designing and manufacturing custom apparel and uniforms for some of North America's leading corporations and creative agencies since 1997. Bishop thrives in a space where "Madison Avenue meets the creation of world class custom apparel."
We are currently looking for a supportive, positive, hardworking and detail-oriented individual who is excited to join our growing team. Learn more about the opportunity here
