The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadian creative businesses and organizations enhance their visibility and increase their export profits in global markets. This benefits Canada's creative professionals and our economy.
The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today that 21 projects are receiving funding from the Creative Export Canada program Export-Ready Stream. This support will help Canadian companies and organizations grow their business and achieve financial success abroad. The minister made the announcement in Toronto while visiting one of this year's funding recipients, Israella Kobla fashion design house, as part of Black History Month celebrations.
The Israella Kobla design house creates contemporary women's clothing and accessories with the goal of becoming an innovative and sustainable global women's clothing brand.
The Creative Export Canada program Export-Ready Stream is investing more than $113,000 in the company's wholesale expansion project, aimed at promoting and distributing its Spring/Summer 2024 collection at fashion events in Copenhagen and New York. This export project will help strengthen and diversify the company's wholesale operations and revenues internationally, build contacts with the international media and fashion industry influencers, generate leads and increase brand awareness.
Israella Kobla will be in New York this month as part of the Canadian Creative Accelerator Program for Fashion companies, a separate Creative Export Strategy program focused on international business growth. This program is run jointly by Global Affairs Canada's creative industry trade commissioners in New York and London.
The sixth annual Export-Ready Stream also supports 20 other projects by businesses and organizations across Canada. This includes support for eight creative businesses and organizations from equity-deserving communities and one Indigenous business. Please see the attached backgrounder
