Last week Guy Trebay compared New York City's Garment District to a coral reef; Today, have a peek into its nooks and crannies via a few little videos, for a glimpse at the American Garmento--an endangered species in its natural habitat.
Herewith, a post from Closettour's archives, in light of the recent interest in New York City's Garment District.
If you are a New Yorker, or a regular reader of Closettour, you may already be aware that New York City's Garment District is at risk of re-zoning. Maybe you saw the rally in October, watched Schmatta on HBO, read this New York Magazine bit about why NYC is the best place for even a Parisian designer, heard Anna Wintour was expected to show at a forum (at Macy's!) Monday night to discuss the future of the area, or noticed that Seventh Avenue was temporarily named Project Runway Avenue in honor of the show that has raised nationwide awareness of the area. (I remember when Mood was just another stop on my errand list.)
Andrew Ward, Executive Director of the Garment Industry Development Corporation, said his organization, which represents the fashion faction, is in discussions with developers, landlords, and union workers about how best to proceed. He wasn't at liberty to discuss the next steps just yet, but he did note that although only 5% of the clothing Americans buy is made in the USA, 1.3 million square feet of the Garment Center--about 1/6 of the commercially zoned area, are still occupied by manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers, and designers--that rare breed of New Yorker we affectionately know as garmentos.
Andrew Ward couldn't say what will happen next. The city has scrapped one plan to consolidate the Garment Center's protected area into a single building, and the negotiations continue.
"It would be a shame if we lost what's here," he said. "What's left."
This post was originally composed for Closettour.
