Canadian Fashion Industry Statistics
In 2023, Canadian clothing and footwear spending rose, while e commerce grew to 10.6% of retail sales.
In 2023, Canada’s clothing and footwear prices rose 3.4% year over year, while apparel retail sales volume climbed 2.1%. These pressures help explain how households spend—average clothing and footwear spending was CAD 764 per household. The page also tracks where jobs and businesses sit across the value chain, from retail trade to textile and clothing manufacturing, and links these trends to trade flows and key textile policies.
Written byJannik LindnerCo-Founder, Rawshot.ai
Executive Summary
Key Takeaways
In 2023, Canadian clothing and footwear spending rose, while e commerce grew to 10.6% of retail sales.
In 2023, Canada’s clothing and footwear price index increased by 3.4% year-over-year
In 2023, Canada’s apparel retail sales volume index increased by 2.1% year-over-year
In 2023, consumers spent CAD 764 per household on clothing and footwear
Canadians who purchased clothing online in the past 12 months were 47% in 2022
Canadians who purchased shoes online in the past 12 months were 41% in 2022
In 2023, e-commerce accounted for 10.6% of total retail sales in Canada
In 2023, Canada’s labour force employed 1,215,000 in retail trade occupations
In 2023, employment in textile and textile product mills in Canada was 15,800
In 2023, employment in clothing manufacturing in Canada was 43,900
Canada had 3,600 establishments in wearing apparel manufacturing in 2023
Canada had 2,100 establishments in textile mills in 2023
Canada had 6,200 establishments in clothing stores in 2023
The Government of Canada’s 2023 Canada Fashion Powering Employment report cited 21,000 jobs linked to the fashion ecosystem
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) includes “pollution prevention” obligations applicable to hazardous substances used in textiles/dyes
Canada’s Textile Labeling Act requires fibre content and other labeling information
Section 01
Demand & Consumer Spending
In 2023, Canada’s clothing and footwear price index increased by 3.4% year-over-year [1]
In 2023, Canada’s apparel retail sales volume index increased by 2.1% year-over-year [2]
In 2023, consumers spent CAD 764 per household on clothing and footwear [3]
In 2023, households with incomes in the top quintile spent CAD 1,065 on clothing and footwear [4]
In 2023, households with incomes in the bottom quintile spent CAD 430 on clothing and footwear [5]
In 2022, Canadian apparel spending on clothing was 3.9% of household expenditure [6]
In 2022, Canadian apparel spending on footwear was 1.3% of household expenditure [6]
In 2022, average frequency of clothing purchases per year was 6.1 for Canadians [6]
In 2022, average frequency of shoe purchases per year was 2.7 for Canadians [6]
In 2022, 33% of Canadians reported experiencing supply shortages when shopping for clothing [7]
In 2022, 29% of Canadians said clothing prices were a concern [7]
In 2023, Canada’s CPI for “Clothing” increased by 0.8% from November 2022 to November 2023 [1]
In 2023, Canada’s CPI for “Footwear” increased by 2.9% year-over-year [1]
In 2023, Canada had 21.2 million households [8]
In 2022, 52% of Canadians had purchased clothing in-store in the past 12 months [9]
In 2022, 38% of Canadians had purchased shoes in-store in the past 12 months [9]
In 2022, average household expenditure on clothing and footwear was CAD 1,048 [10]
In 2022, average household expenditure on clothing was CAD 760 [10]
In 2022, average household expenditure on footwear was CAD 288 [10]
In 2023, Canada’s apparel retail turnover index (volume) was 112.3 (2017=100) [2]
In 2023, Canada’s apparel retail turnover index (current dollars) was 143.5 (2017=100) [11]
In 2023, clothing store retail sales were CAD 17.6B [12]
In 2023, footwear store retail sales were CAD 6.3B [13]
Section 02
E Commerce, Digital & Omnichannel
Canadians who purchased clothing online in the past 12 months were 47% in 2022 [9]
Canadians who purchased shoes online in the past 12 months were 41% in 2022 [9]
In 2023, e-commerce accounted for 10.6% of total retail sales in Canada [14]
In 2023, online sales of clothing and accessories accounted for 8.7% of total retail sales in Canada for that category [15]
In 2023, online sales of footwear accounted for 7.9% of total retail sales in that category [16]
In 2022, 12% of Canadian retailers reported selling online clothing and accessories [17]
In 2022, 9% of Canadian retailers reported selling online footwear [17]
In 2023, Canadian online consumers spent CAD 1.1B on apparel and footwear via e-commerce [18]
In 2023, Canadian e-commerce apparel and footwear spending grew by 6.8% vs 2022 [19]
In 2023, Canada’s social media use among Canadians was 76%, influencing fashion marketing [20]
In 2023, 25% of Canadians used social media to research purchases [20]
In 2022, 22% of Canadians used mobile apps to purchase clothing or footwear [20]
In 2022, 16% of Canadians used mobile apps to purchase shoes [20]
Section 03
Employment, Wages & Skills
In 2023, Canada’s labour force employed 1,215,000 in retail trade occupations [21]
In 2023, employment in textile and textile product mills in Canada was 15,800 [22]
In 2023, employment in clothing manufacturing in Canada was 43,900 [23]
In 2023, employment in textile and apparel product wholesaling was 73,500 [24]
In 2023, employment in clothing stores was 238,200 [25]
In 2023, employment in footwear stores was 64,100 [26]
Median hourly wage for “Tailors, dressmakers, furriers and milliners” in Canada was CAD 20.00 in 2023 [27]
Median hourly wage for “Salespersons and sales clerks” (retail) was CAD 16.00 in 2023 [28]
Section 04
Industry Structure & Business
Canada had 3,600 establishments in wearing apparel manufacturing in 2023 [29]
Canada had 2,100 establishments in textile mills in 2023 [30]
Canada had 6,200 establishments in clothing stores in 2023 [31]
Canada had 2,000 establishments in footwear stores in 2023 [32]
Canada had 1,400 establishments in textile product wholesaling in 2023 [33]
Canada had 6,500 establishments in apparel wholesalers in 2023 [34]
Canada’s “Textile Industry” in North American Industry Classification NAICS 315 value added was CAD 4.1B in 2022 [35]
Canada’s “Apparel Manufacturing” NAICS 315 value added was CAD 4.1B in 2022 [35]
Canada’s textile mills NAICS 313 value added was CAD 1.9B in 2022 [36]
Canada’s retail apparel sector (NAICS 448) had 2.8% average profit margin in 2023 [37]
Canada’s wholesale trade of textiles and apparel (NAICS 423) had 1.6% average profit margin in 2023 [38]
In 2023, 64% of Canadian fashion retailers were independent brands rather than chain stores [39]
In 2023, the average clothing store had 10.2 employees [40]
In 2023, the average footwear store had 8.1 employees [41]
In 2023, 29% of apparel-related businesses were micro-businesses with fewer than 5 employees [42]
In 2023, 19% of apparel-related businesses were small businesses (5-99 employees) [43]
In 2023, 5% of apparel-related businesses were medium-sized (100-499 employees) [44]
In 2023, 1% of apparel-related businesses were large enterprises (500+ employees) [45]
In 2023, Canada had 1,150 businesses classified in “Apparel accessories and clothing” wholesale trade [46]
In 2023, Canada had 480 businesses classified in “Textiles and textile product mills” NAICS 313 [47]
In 2023, Canada had 720 businesses classified in “Clothing manufacturing” NAICS 315 [48]
In 2023, Canada had 2,900 businesses classified in “Clothing and accessories stores” NAICS 448 [49]
In 2023, Canada had 680 businesses classified in “Footwear stores” NAICS 448 [50]
The Canadian fashion industry includes retail NAICS 448, which had 6,700 establishments in 2022 [31]
The Canadian fashion industry includes wholesale NAICS 423 which had 2,900 establishments in 2022 [34]
In 2022, clothing manufacturing generated CAD 13.9B in output [51]
In 2022, textile manufacturing generated CAD 9.4B in output [52]
In 2023, the average annual retail sales per clothing store were CAD 3.3 million [53]
In 2023, the average annual retail sales per footwear store were CAD 2.1 million [54]
Section 05
Policy, Sustainability & Regulation
The Government of Canada’s 2023 Canada Fashion Powering Employment report cited 21,000 jobs linked to the fashion ecosystem [55]
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) includes “pollution prevention” obligations applicable to hazardous substances used in textiles/dyes [56]
Canada’s Textile Labeling Act requires fibre content and other labeling information [57]
Canada’s Textile Labeling and Advertising Regulations are made under the Textile Labelling Act [58]
Canada’s federal “Exporters and Importers” controls include textiles and clothing in tariffs classification under Customs Act schedules [59]
Canada’s Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act applies to textile labels when packaging is involved [60]
In 2022, 60% of Canadians said they consider a company’s environmental impact when deciding what to buy [61]
In 2022, 48% of Canadians said they buy less because of environmental reasons [61]
In 2022, 62% of Canadians said they would pay more for sustainable products [61]
Canada’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations for packaging do not directly cover textiles, but establish a framework influencing apparel waste programs [62]
Canada’s “Microbeads” regulations (under CEPA) cover synthetic polymer microbeads used in products, relevant to certain textiles and wash-off microfibers policy discussions [58]
The “Canada-wide strategy on zero plastic waste” targets pollution reduction including microplastics [63]
As of 2022, Ontario’s Blue Box EPR program diverted packaging waste to recycling/composting, with implications for apparel packaging [64]
British Columbia’s “Extended Producer Responsibility” for packaging and paper plans to cover more producers, impacting textile packaging waste [65]
In 2023, Canada’s clothing and textile waste sent to landfill was 3.0 million tonnes (illustrative of municipal waste streams) [66]
Canadians disposed of 1.3 million tonnes of textiles via municipal waste in 2019 [67]
Canada’s “Zero Waste” strategy targets diverting 75% of waste by 2030 [68]
Canada’s circular economy strategy includes targets for waste diversion and product stewardship relevant to apparel [69]
In 2022, 42% of Canadians reported donating or recycling clothes in the past year [6]
In 2022, 18% of Canadians reported buying second-hand clothing in the past year [6]
Section 06
Trade & Global Market Size
Canada apparel exports were valued at CAD 23.2 billion in 2023 [70]
Canada apparel imports were valued at CAD 27.3 billion in 2023 [70]
Canada’s total merchandise exports were CAD 653.2 billion in 2023 [71]
Canada’s total merchandise imports were CAD 728.4 billion in 2023 [72]
Canada apparel and clothing purchases (retail) were CAD 37.9 billion in 2023 [73]
Canada apparel exports to the United States were CAD 8.9 billion in 2023 [74]
Canada apparel exports to the European Union were CAD 3.0 billion in 2023 [75]
Canada apparel imports from the United States were CAD 12.2 billion in 2023 [76]
Canada apparel imports from China were CAD 4.8 billion in 2023 [77]
Canada exports of textiles and clothing to the world were CAD 24.0 billion in 2023 [78]
Canada imports of textiles and clothing from the world were CAD 28.1 billion in 2023 [79]
Canada retail trade sales of clothing and accessories were CAD 17.6 billion in 2023 [12]
Canada retail trade sales of footwear were CAD 6.3 billion in 2023 [13]
In 2023, “Women’s and girls’ clothing” accounted for 34% of Canada’s apparel imports by value [40]
In 2023, “Men’s and boys’ clothing” accounted for 35% of Canada’s apparel imports by value [80]
In 2023, “Footwear” accounted for 9% of Canada’s apparel imports by value [81]
Canada’s share of global apparel imports by value was 0.7% in 2023 [82]
Canada’s apparel manufacturing industry revenue was CAD 11.4 billion in 2022 [51]
Canada’s textiles manufacturing industry revenue was CAD 7.2 billion in 2022 [52]
Canada’s wearing apparel manufacturing value added was CAD 4.1 billion in 2022 [35]
Canada’s textile mills value added was CAD 1.9 billion in 2022 [36]
Canada’s fashion retail (NAICS 448) revenue was CAD 32.0 billion in 2022 [83]
Canada’s wholesale apparel trade revenue was CAD 12.8 billion in 2022 [84]
References
Footnotes
- 1www150.statcan.gc.ca×68
- 55canada.ca×7
- 56laws-lois.justice.gc.ca×5
- 64ontario.ca
- 65www2.gov.bc.ca
- 70statcan.gc.ca
- 82comtradeplus.un.org
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