We have a plan to change the Garment District.
The fashion industry employs about 5% of the labor in the city — but its critical infrastructure is located in an area of Midtown that developers desperately want to change.
In the 1960s, 95% of the clothing sold in the U.S. was made in Manhattan, and the garment industry filled lofts from Chinatown to the north end of Times Square.
It is a lot smaller now, with the jobs and equipment shipped off to China, India, and other places.
In 1987 a protection zone was established to make sure the fashion industry wouldn’t leave New York completely, but there were political decisions not to strictly enforce the protections, and the area is now cut up with hotels and the majority of the manufacturing spaces are now occupied by other businesses.
In March, the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the city’s Planning Commission attempted to fast-track zoning changes in the Garment District which would have had an immediate and destructive impact on fashion businesses.
Save The Garment Center responded immediately, coordinating with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and other representatives and affected parties to protest the changes.
The city’s Garment Center is a world-class machine in a state of disarray and disrepair — so it is understandable that landlords in the area would be frustrated.
But we have a plan — one that could help preserve the remaining manufacturing business in the city and satisfy real estate interests.
We propose consolidating the businesses spread across the Garment District into a smaller footprint — something similar in design to the campus of the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Our re-envisioned Garment Center would straddle a space a bit larger than FIT’s two blocks — but it would pull together the entire industry and house it in one consolidated location.
We also want to create satellite hubs in other cities, using technology to enable far more sustainable locations for on-demand manufacturing.
Technology can also help build up the textile, trimmings and other supply industries so American business aren’t forced to buy as much from overseas vendors.
The team at Save The Garment Center looks forward to working with the de Blasio administration, the Garment District Alliance and state and federal officials to make meaningful changes that will preserve the wonderful history of the American manufacturing, but also grow and expand its business base.
Samanta Cortes is the founder of Save The Garment Center, a grassroots trade organization.
