Garment District (Manhattan)
The Garment District (also: Garment Center , Fashion District and Fashion Center ) is a neighborhood in the borough Manhattan in New York City , USA . The quarter owes its name to the high concentration of companies, labels and shops that have something to do with fashion ( garment = clothing, garments and fashion = fashion).
location
The Midtown Manhattan neighborhood stretches between Fifth Avenue and Ninth Avenue, and from 34th Street to 42nd Street .
Significance in the fashion industry in the neighborhood
The Garment District has been known as a center for fashion manufacturing and fashion design of international renown since the early 1920s . Most of New York City's “ showrooms ” are located here on an area of less than 65 hectares . Numerous important fashion labels such as Carolina Herrera , Oscar de la Renta , Calvin Klein , Donna Karan , Liz Claiborne and Nicole Miller have their shops, production facilities, Warehouse, store, or support office in the Garment District. In addition, there are companies for all aspects of the fashion industry - from design and production to suppliers of fabrics and scarves to wholesalers. No other city has a comparable concentration of fashion companies in one neighborhood. Many in the fashion industry claim that this concentration of creatives, entrepreneurs, and businesses in this neighborhood works like an ecosystem, where each part helps keep the whole going. New York City is thus the fashion capital of the United States. The fashion industry that is located here has annual sales of around 14 billion US dollars and in some cases initiates global design trends.
Although the Garment Distric has historically been considered the center of the textile industry, global trends have changed the way the fashion industry works in the neighborhood. Over the past 50 years, New York apparel manufacturers have seen a steady decline across the city, and particularly in the Garment District, as local manufacturers increasingly become less competitive in the global marketplace. Foreign workers now play a crucial role in the manufacturing process as they work for significantly less wages. The decline of the manufacturing sector has proven to be a serious problem for the Garment District.
history
Before the mid-19th century, the majority of Americans either made their own clothes or bought them made-to-measure if they were wealthy. However, by the 1820s, more and more prefabricated clothing of a higher quality was being produced for a wider market.
New York City became the first time the function as the center of the national garment industry, as the production of clothing for plantations - slaves of the southern states began. It was more economical for the plantation owners to buy the clothes from manufacturers in New York City rather than having the slaves make their own clothes. In addition to the range of clothing for slaves, the tailors also made ready-made clothing for seafarers and prospectors when the core business was in a doldrums. The production of pre-fabricated clothing continued to grow.
Finally, with the invention of the sewing machine in the 1850s , the manufacturing process became increasingly industrial. At that time, immigrants from Germany and Central Europe with relevant business and professional experience came to New York City and continued to boost business. The need for thousands of ready-made soldier 's uniforms during the American Civil War (1861–1865) helped New York City's clothing industry grow. Eventually, in the late 1860s, most Americans bought their clothes instead of making them themselves. During the 1870s, the value of clothing made in New York City increased sixfold. In 1880 New York City produced more clothing than the four toughest cities put together, and in 1900 the value and quantity of goods were three times that of the city's second largest industry: sugar production .
In the early 20th century, mostly Eastern European workers drove the clothing trade. Abraham Cahan wrote in 1917 these immigrants the creation of a US-style ( American style ) to: " When strangers and being able to talk mostly without English, we Americanized the way to offer clothes for the humble or simple American woman. The average American woman is the best dressed woman in the world and the Russian Jew has done a great deal to make her so ” (“ Foreigners ourselves, and mostly unable to speak English, we had Americanized the system of providing clothes for the American woman of moderate or humble means. The averarge American woman is the best-dressed woman in the world, and the Russian Jew has had a good deal to do with making her one ").
The southern part of the Garment District, with a similar function for the fur industry, is the Fur District , which is also of negligible importance.
Decline of the fashion industry
Cheaper labor and lower production costs overseas have hit New York City's clothing manufacturers hard in recent decades. This change forced many fashion designers who once had their collections made in Manhattan to relocate production abroad, which in turn affected the small tailors as well as the suppliers in the Garment District.
Charles Bagli of the New York Times wrote, “Some city authorities and industry leaders worry that if clothing manufacturing collapses, so will many of the designers who bring so much glamor to New York go - like the city's claim to be a fashion capital, which competes with Paris and Milan. The damage would be undeniable, as the two big annual events of the fashion industry - Fashion Week in September and February - attract enormous numbers of visitors and generate hundreds of millions of dollars ” (“ Some city officials and industry leaders worry that if manufacturing is wiped out , many of the designers who bring so much luster to New York will leave, along with the city's claim to be a fashion capital rivaling Paris and Milan. The damage would be undeniable, given that the industry's two big annual events - Fashion Week in September and February - attract enormous numbers of visitors and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity ”).
While these are tough times for both New York City's fashion industry and New York's Garment District, there are many organizations working to keep the neighborhood important. One of these organizations is the Fashion Center Business Improvement District (also The Fashion Center or Fashion Center BID ). This non-profit organization tries to maintain and improve the charisma and dynamism of the Garment District by promoting the area as a strategic business location for fashion companies and other businesses alike. The Fashion Center BID initiated the Fashion Walk of Fame on Seventh Avenue , art festivals and an information center, the Fashion Center Information Kiosk , which is also located on Seventh Avenue. This "information kiosk" offers fashion professionals, students, visitors and buyers information and services related to the fashion industry.
Save the Garment Center is a campaign launched by various members of the fashion industry to keep fashion companies and businesses focused in the neighborhood.
The connection of the Garment District to the local, regional and long-distance traffic makes the quarter popular with companies. Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal are within walking distance . During the decline of fashion manufacturing, buildings that once housed large manufacturing facilities were converted into office space. Accountants, law firms, PR companies and high-tech companies moved to this area, so that this quarter is now evenly divided between fashion companies and other companies.
Attractions
- The “ Fashion Walk of Fame ”, which is dedicated to American fashion.
- " Needle threading a button " - Sculpture of an oversized needle threading an equally oversized button at the Fashion Center Business Improvement District's Information Kiosk on Seventh Avenue and 39th Street.
- Statue of Ralph Kramden in his bus driver uniform in front of the Port Authority building.
- The Greenwich Savings Bank building .
Individual evidence
- ^ The Fashion Capital . In: nycfashioninfo.com . Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ↑ Made in Midtown . In: madeinmidtown.org . Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ↑ a b Charles V. Bagli: New York Seeks to Consolidate Its Garment District . In: The New York Times , August 19, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ The Fashion Center . In: Fashion Center Business Improvement District . Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ↑ a b The Fashion Center Information Kiosk . In: Fashion Center Business Improvement District . Archived from the original on November 1st, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ↑ a b Walk of Fame . In: Fashion Center Business Improvement District . Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
Web links
- Garment District , New York City Visitor Guide (English)
- Garment District , Emporis (English)