A Chapter is Ending
This is not an announcement we ever imagined making, and we are devastated to do so. We know how deeply TFI is woven into the fabric of Canada’s fashion ecosystem, and we are truly sorry to let so many of you down. Please know that this decision was not taken lightly, nor was it made without exhausting every possible option. Circumstances beyond our control have forced our hand.
Unfortunately, we’ve received word that the City of Toronto will not be providing TFI with a multi-year operating grant and without stable funding, it is simply no longer possible for TFI to continue in a responsible or sustainable way.
For decades, TFI relied on this support to fulfill its mandate of supporting and promoting new and emerging fashion entrepreneurs by delivering meaningful webinars, workshops, events and other much-needed programs and services. Unfortunately, that funding was reduced by more than 80% over the past few years, placing increasing strain on the organization. Even so, TFI continued to operate, year after year, with extraordinary hardship, determination, and creativity. We stretched every dollar, took on more with less, and stayed committed to serving designers and the industry as best we could.
While this chapter is ending, the impact of TFI lives on through the people it empowered and the dreams it helped set in motion. We hope you continue to create boldly, take risks, support one another, and pursue the visions that first brought you to this industry.
From the bottom of our hearts, we wish each of you the courage to follow your dreams and the strength to keep going—even when the path is difficult.
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