This week marks International Sewing Machine Day, making it a fitting time to look at one of Toronto's oldest industries. The Toronto CMA is still home to 416 textile and apparel establishments, including 165 cut-and-sew clothing manufacturers. While much smaller than it once was, the industry remains an important part of the region's economic fabric.
For much of the twentieth century, thousands of newcomers found work in the garment factories that lined Spadina Avenue, and the surrounding neighbourhoods. By the 1960s and 1970s, an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 people worked in garment and textile manufacturing across the region. Many of the buildings in Toronto's Fashion District, including those near TWIG's office on Spadina, were originally constructed as garment factories and workshops.
The industry has changed dramatically. Jobs that once relied primarily on manual skills and on-the-job training have increasingly given way to occupations requiring post-secondary education and specialized expertise. Today's workforce is more likely to be designing products, managing global supply chains, developing brands, operating e-commerce platforms, or producing specialized textiles for industries such as healthcare, construction, and automotive manufacturing.
The chart reminds us that Toronto's economy is constantly evolving. While the sewing machines that built the city's garment industry are less common today, the sector continues to create opportunities, just in very different ways than it did for previous generations.
