Manufacturing in Canada

Much has been reported about the decline of the manufacturing sector in Canada. For example, this article from last summer outlines how the manufacturing decline has been spurred by competition from developing countries with cheaper labour. The bigger problem, perhaps, is that cheaper labour and cheaper materials drive higher profit margins for mass-market companies. Lower prices, sure. But lower quality, too.

While we may not be able to dispute the decline of the large manufacturer, there are trends in the other direction. We're seeing more "farm-to-table" movements, 100 mile diets and efforts to get people to shop locally. In our opinion, there is an emerging trend of educated consumers who are aware of the broader impact their purchase decisions have. It's a spark.

At Camp Tuque, we care about these things. We've distilled them into a few guiding principles:

• Made in Canada. Yep. It costs a bit more, but we think it's worth it.
• Small batches. No, you can't have it tomorrow. But you can have it in a few days. Small batches allow us to control quality and means we're not stockpiling inventory.
• Online only. More and more people are shopping online. Our business model doesn't require us to produce 1000s of items to put on display in retail outlets. That means we can be more efficient.
• Fair price. Shop around online. Some other trendy retail sites are charging absurd prices for basic casual wear.

We believe that by sticking to these principles we can deliver high-quality, fairly-priced garments to our customers. If we do that successfully, we have every right to earn a modest profit. So why did we start Camp Tuque? Because we couldn't find other firms that shared our values that we're equally committed to domestic manufacturing.