Made in Canada and the future of thrift stores

What do you think of my new wool boucle jacket?

Debbie Shuchat, made in Canada, found at Stretch Thrift in Pape Village, $6.99.

Very Chanel, with a twist.

I love Debbie Shuchat. And it's nice to find her creations with a Made in Canada tag on them.

I'm pretty sure she's started manufacturing offshore, as with so many designers around the Globe.




You can still find samples by her that say Made in Canada at the Mendocino outlet stores, but that's another story.

Buying this jacket made me realize something horrible: as more and more designers move to offshore production, that Made in Canada tag will become more and more rare shops as the years go by.

I know that places like China are developing quite a manufacturing economy, and that the quality of garments made there isn't as always as bad as some say. But still, in order to keep prices low for an ever-demanding consumer, certain things are sacrificed in the rag trade today. That means cheaper labour and a trend towards disposable clothing that falls apart in a season.

So my worry is this: what will the clothing in the thrift stores of the future look like?

Will they be crap, remnants of this disposable type clothing that seems to be the mainstay of mass market fashion today?

Will there be a good quality Made in Canada piece to be found?

Is there another future for thrift shops I'm not considering? Brr. I sure hope so. In the meantime I'm hanging onto all the wonderful Made in Canada pieces I've dug up in thrift shops, as there's no doubt they are (outside of micro designers) becoming a rarity.