the importance of the garment district and growth of “made in nyc”

A note from the author

December 2015

The following is my undergraduate thesis, “The Importance of the Garment District and Growth of ‘Made in NYC’,” a year-long research study that was completed May 2014.

Some data from the thesis was omitted or edited due to an agreement made at the time of the study that certain images and content were only to be used within The New School’s Urban Studies department and not to be made public. Photographs of Nanette Lepore’s headquarters and Katie Fong’s sourcing contacts, both originally in the Appendix section, have been excluded. In addition, Debbie’s last name, the Parsons Fashion design student interviewed, has been removed.

Since the research was completed, there have been many major developments within the fashion industry and manufacturing sector across New York City, including initiatives and programs launched by the City of New York, the CFDA, and major retailers like Barneys New York. For additional industry news I recommend looking at Save the Garment Center, The Garment District Alliance, The Emerging Designer, and the NYCEDC.

The people mentioned in this study have also accomplished a lot since I met them. Leota New York’s headquarters is now located in the Garment District. Sarah Carson moved her company from Dumbo, Brooklyn to 39th Street March 2015. Katie Fong left her studio in the Garment District and moved her office and showroom to Greenwich Connecticut to be closer to her clientele. She now has her own storefront. Debbie is currently working on her own collection which will launch January 2016. Her garments are made in New York’s Garment District.

Looking back, there are things I would have done differently. Having gained greater knowledge of the Fashion industry in the manufacturing, design, and sourcing sectors over the past year and a half, I would have used a different methodology and probably even changed the focus of the study. I welcome your thoughts and opinions, or if you just want to say hello, you can reach me at [email protected].

Nicole Lau

mailto:[email protected]

IMPORTANCE OF THE GARMENT DISTRICT AND “MADE IN NYC”

The Importance of the Garment District and Growth of “Made in NYC”

Nicole Lau Spring 2014

Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts

©2014 Nicole Lau. All rights reserved. !2


Abstract This research study on the Garment District aims to find out how emerging and established

designers use the Garment District today in an effort to explain why it continues to be important.

Interviews with three fashion designers who design and manufacture in the Garment District are

used to gather in-depth information on why they chose to do business in the district and the

advantages of doing business there. The findings from the interviews support the known benefits

of the Garment District such as quality control, efficiency, community ties and community

support. To these Made in NYC designers, designing and manufacturing domestically makes

“business sense” but it is also a personal choice. The second component of this research begins to

find out whether senior fashion design students think the Garment District has the resources for

them to start their businesses and if there is a similar passion to have their garments Made in

NYC. From two interviews with Parson Fashion Design students, there is an agreement that the

Garment District has the resources for emerging designers to begin their businesses but there

isn’t a similar sense of attachment with the district. While the designers interviewed are

committed to keeping manufacturing in New York even as they continue to expand, the students

consider overseas manufacturing as a natural progression. These findings, from both the fashion

designers and students, also highlight some of the concerns about the district and improvements

they would like to see in order to direct the changes that need to occur and aid the growth of the

neighborhood.



Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Background 7

Literature Review 10

Methods and Methodology 14

Findings Doing Business in the Garment District Makes “Business Sense” 18 Proximity and Agglomeration 20 The Social Network and Formation of Interpersonal Relationships 22 Made in NYC vs. Made Overseas 24

Discussion 27

Conclusion 30

References 31

Appendix 33 A. The Making of a Garment [Omitted] B. Headquarters of Nanette Lepore [Omitted] C. Interview Questions for Katie, Sarah, and Frank 34 D. Interview Questions for Debbie 35 E. Interview Sheet Given to David 36



Introduction This research paper describes how the Garment District, located in Midtown West from

34th Street to 41st Street between Seventh and Ninth Avenues, continues to be important today in

helping fashion designers start and develop their businesses and why keeping manufacturing and

design within New York City is not just a choice but a necessity. The Made in NYC movement

has been gaining momentum since the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh last year, which

reiterated the ethical concerns in garment production overseas but with greater voice. Made in

NYC, a label given to fashion designers who design and manufacture in New York City, has

become a focus in the media because it is the alternative to overseas production which is thought

to be standard.

The Garment District is often the focus in the Made in NYC movement because of the

district’s historic importance in the fashion industry, not just for New York but also across the

United States. Those advocating for the return of manufacturing point towards the Garment

District where the design to the production of garments have long been done. But as the Made in

NYC movement continues to grow, the number of garment-related firms in the district continues

to decline. According to the Garment District Alliance BID, in 1993, 85% of the tenants were

garment-related. Today, it is less than 50% (Kusisto, 2013). Even with the growth of media

coverage, the importance of the Garment District today is under-recognized and undervalued by

city officials who in 2007 wanted to rezone the district for redevelopment, consumers who know

little of the garment production process and assume everything is made overseas, and even

emerging designers who believe overseas production is the most effective. While the district

many never return to it’s peak in the 1900s, greater recognition of the district’s importance will



instigate initiatives that will better support and increase the growth of the fashion-related

industries in the neighborhood. As the demand for domestic manufacturing increases and as the

Made in NYC brand becomes stronger, the Garment District can be the backbone of the

movement because it has the foundations that enable emerging designers to start their businesses

and allow established designers to maintain successful businesses by keeping all aspects of

production locally.

A few handpicked quotes from the interviews with the three fashion designers who

participated in this study have already been published on Save the Garment Centers’ social media

sites with the purpose of: (1) showing the general public that there are designers who still design

and manufacture in the Garment District (2) educating them on the economic and social

advantages of the Garment District and (3) providing a personal account of how the designers

utilize the district and its significance to them.



Background The number of garment-related firms, design studios, showrooms, supply stores, and

manufacturers in New York City’s Garment District has been decreasing as architecture firms,

tech companies, and other non-garment related industries move in the neighborhood. The

beginning of the district’s decline is due to the progression of overseas manufacturing in the

1970s because labor costs were significantly cheaper (Beleyer, 2009). More recently, the changes

in the district are driven by the rents. There are currently more than 150 architectural firms and

200 tech companies and since 2005, 28 hotels have opened (Morgan, 2014) because the average

rent price in the Garment District is $47.39 a square foot, compared to Park Avenue South which

is $59.03, Midtown, $69.82 and Midtown South, $64 (Levere, 2013). Many garment-related

industries moved out from the district to “hipper” neighborhoods like the Meatpacking District

and Soho but many others were priced out because building owners, seeing the demand for space

by media, advertising, entertainment, technology, and other non-fashion industries, have

increased the rent. The changes in the population have caused the city to propose rezoning the

district. In 2007, the Bloomberg administration announced the possibility of rezoning the

Garment District which currently protects garment manufacturing space by mandating 50 percent

of the occupants on the Garment District’s side streets be manufacturing related to encourage

redevelopment (Edelson, 2007). While the proposed rezoning was shelved, the changes in the

district are ongoing.

This is a stark contrast to what the Garment District was like in the early to mid 1900s.

Every sector of the industry, from supply stores to the showrooms, clustered together making the

neighborhood a fashion hub for innovation and production. The city became the center for



women’s garment manufacturing because of its harbor, canal, rail, and road networks. The harbor

was also a gateway for the immigrants who became the city’s industrial labor force and owners

of the garment businesses. In 1924, there were 475 firms around Seventh Avenue but two years

later, there were 1,492 (Dolkart, 2011). At its peak, the district once supported over 100,000

manufacturing jobs and produced 75% of all women’s and children’s apparel in the USA

(Dolkart, 2011). Today, only 2.5% of the apparel sold in the USA is made in the USA (American

Apparel & Footwear Association, 2014) and since 1980, the district lost 90% of the apparel

businesses that were located there (Badger, 2014).

However, it is not entirely bleak. There has been an 8.5% increase in USA apparel

manufacturing in 2012 (American Apparel & Footwear Association, 2014) and according to a

report by the Boston Consulting Group in April, it is now 5% cheaper to make goods in China

compared with the U.S. (Li, 2014), down from 14% in 2004 (Wiseman, 2014). Over the past

decade, labor costs in China went up by 187%, electricity by 66% and China’s currency has risen

by 30% against the dollar. Shipping costs were not included in the report because price varies

where goods are shipped. The Boston Consulting Group found that if these trends continue, by

2018, manufacturing in the U.S. will be less expensive than China (Wiseman, 2014). While these

numbers are not specific to apparel production or to New York, it is likely there will be some

spill over effect.

On a more local scale, new resources like Makers Row to help designers locate and

contact manufacturers, programs like the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative that recently

distributed a grant totaling $1.3 million to seven manufacturers to support and promote the

growth of small businesses in the city’s fashion and manufacturing sectors, and the launch of the



CFDA’s public, online factory database, (Karimzadesh, 2014) are helping encourage the growth

of manufacturing in New York City and strengthen the Made in NYC brand. With 42.54% (2012)

of New York City’s apparel manufacturing located in zip code 10018, which covers the majority

of the Garment District (The Garment District Alliance, 2013), the district might undergo some

form of revitalization. But since none of the resources or initiatives are specific to the Garment

District, they might not be enough to keep the sewing machines humming.



Literature Review Designers continue to manufacture overseas because production costs, labor costs in

particular, is still cheaper, saving business money that is then passed along to consumers in the

form of lower prices (Skarda, 2013). However, designers are beginning to weigh the benefits of

manufacturing domestically, even suggesting that keeping all aspects of production locally is

worth the extra cost (Kim, 2013). The concentration of garment-related firms in the district

allows designers to work along side manufacturers, having more control over the production and

quality of the garments. In Nanette Lepore and Robert Savage's Op-ed for The New York Times,

they explain that,

We can stop by factories to inspect garments, change the fit or correct the sewing.

Manufacturing locally, as opposed to overseas, allows us to quickly increase or decrease

production, depending on what consumers want (Lepore, Savage, 2009).

Being located blocks away from her manufacturers, Nanette can make changes any time

throughout the production process. If one garment is selling well, she can have more cut, sewn,

and in stores within weeks. News articles that have interviewed designers like Trina Turk,

Michelle Smith of MILLY, Lela Rose (Kim, 2013), and Yeohlee Teng (Feitelberg, 2008) echo

Nanette’s words. In a 2011 MIT study published February of this year, Sarah Williams and

Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, followed 77 fashion designers from 34 studios based in the Garment

District and metro region for two weeks by having the designers check in using FourSquare. The

designers, having visited 287 separate but related businesses, checked in on FourSquare more

than 2,000 times, visually show that proximity matters.



Two patterns jump out: Intense interaction still takes place throughout these few square

blocks, as designers bounce between manufacturing and wholesale and supply shops,

despite the fact that New York's Garment District has lost nearly 90 percent of the apparel

businesses that were located here in 1980.

Many established designers like Nanette began their business in the Garment District

because they could produce small quantities, as low as 10 to 30 pieces, a luxury that is not

possible when outsourcing. And still, many young designers are sending their work overseas,

whether because of habit or belief that producing within the states is too expensive (Skarda,

2013). Manufacturing in New York's Garment District, or in the USA in general, also allows

designers to bypass the additional hassles of having to deal with tariffs, high shipping costs,

minimum order requirements, waiting weeks for orders to arrive, and spotty quality (Wee, 2013).

The signature item of William Thompson, a clothing company based in San Diego, is a high-

performance T-shirt that is sweatproof. Contractors overseas would not be fit to manufacture the

product because the material and construction to make the T-shirt are advanced. The company

decided to “tap experienced tailors and seamstresses in Los Angeles. 'These are not Forever 21

contractors,' said Choi [co-founder of the company], referring to the category of mass produced

fashion that's made abroad and can fall apart after a few washes" (Wee, 2013). There is a known

difference between garments made overseas and domestically. Consumers are aware of the

quality of the garments they purchase just by looking at the label:

The focus on quality and craftsmanship is what American-made fashion is known for- not

only in the U.S., but also internationally- and is a major reason why designers like Lepore

keep their production local (Skarda, 2013).



Keeping manufacturing domestic is not only important in creating a high-quality

garments but it begins to address the ethical concerns in factories. When designers are going to

their factories to check on the quality and production of their garments, they are also monitoring

the working conditions of the factories by constantly being present. Businesses that manufacture

overseas depend on inspectors to “uncover hazardous working conditions, like faulty electrical

wiring or blocked stairways,” and examine management practices and working hours (Clifford,

Greenhouse, 2013). But “little had improved in 20 years of factory monitoring” because

dangerous and unethical conditions take months to correct and there is little enforcement to

guarantee compliance with the regulations (Clifford, Greenhouse, 2013). Garments that are made

locally, particularly in the Garment District, there is greater transparency. Consumers are not

only guaranteed a high-quality garment when they buy Made in NYC, there is less concern over

whether the garment is ethically made.

Within the past five years, the Design Trust for Public Space conducted two studies on

the Garment District. Phase I, Made in Midtown, which extended over one year from 2009-2010,

studied the relationship between the fashion industry and the neighborhood by interviewing more

than 70 fashion industry and neighborhood stakeholders and analyzing over two decades of city,

state, and federal business data (Design Trust for Public Space, 2010). Phase II, Making

Midtown, is a response to the Made in Midtown study and provides recommendations on how

the city can strengthen the Garment District with fashion design and manufacturing at its core

(Design Trust for Public Space, 2012). Both studies reinstate the importance of the Garment

District not just to the fashion industry but also to New York City.



Now, more than before, the continuing discussion and debate about the economic,

creative, and social aspects of the Garment District involve the public. The benefits and

importance of the Garment District and the difference between a Made in NYC label and a Made

in China label are not only known to those in fashion-related industries. The news articles about

the Made in NYC and Made in USA that appear in local and national news outlets show that the

Garment District is still interweaved in New York City’s urban fabric.



Methods and Methodology Over the course of three months, three semi-structured, in-person interviews with

designers were conducted. The designers involved in the research were specifically selected

because they manufacture all or part of their collection in the Garment District, are at different

stages of their business, and vary in education backgrounds. The designers have contacted or

were involved with Save the Garment Center within the past year where I have been an intern

since last August, which was how I was introduced to them.

In requesting the designers’ participation for this study, I mentioned my involvement with

Save the Garment Center, described the purpose of my research project, and explained the

reasons why I would like them to share their experiences and thoughts on the Garment District.

In addition, I told them the research will be presented to the Urban Studies Department and that I

would also like to post a couple of quotes on Save the Garment Center’s social media sites. I

gave the designers the option of reviewing the quotes or texts before they were published.

My interest in the Garment District goes beyond the requirement of a thesis project. I was

first introduced to the fashion industry as a sophomore in high school. I interned for Sue Stemp,

a fashion designer based in the Garment District, to help prepare for her Fall/Winter 2008

presentation and Spring/Summer 2009 fashion show. As a fashion design intern, I learned what

the profession entailed and began to understand how the Garment District worked. Although I

diverted away from fashion for a few years, I was drawn back unexpectedly when I began my

internship at The Skyscraper Museum in February 2012, after declaring Urban Studies as my

major. There, I did extensive research on the Garment District’s history and architecture for the

exhibit Urban Fabric. I learned about the Garment District from a different perspective, as a



historian, an urban planner, and an architect. Using what I learned at the museum, I began

incorporating the Garment District in course projects, building on my knowledge. From these

and other experiences including taking a sewing class at The Sewing Studio on 35th Street last

Summer and interviewing Malia Millis, a swimwear designer who’s studio is on 38th Street for a

Journalism class to my current internship at Save the Garment Center, I have come to appreciate

the neighborhood but also have become attached to it. While this research project is based on the

experiences of others, designers and students, it is also an extension of my personal background

and involvement over the years.

The first interview was with Katie Fong, a FIT graduate who has the construction of her

collection entirely manufactured within a five block radius from her studio. The second interview

was with Sarah Carson Cloud, the founder of the brand Leota. Unlike Katie, Sarah’s studio is

based in Dumbo and she manufacturers Leota’s collection in the Garment District and in Sunset

Park, Brooklyn. Although when Sarah first founded Leota, she was based in the Garment District

and manufactured all of her garments in the neighborhood. Sarah’s background is in accounting

and investment banking and has no formal education in fashion. Frank Tropiano completed the

AAS Fashion Design program at Parsons after realizing he didn’t want a career in Political

Science and Finance. He manufactures his entire collection at BK Samples in the Garment

District. In terms of scale, none of the designers have their own brick and mortar store. Leota is

sold on e-commerce sites including Modcloth and the line is carried in over 100 stores in

Mexico, Japan, Canada, but mainly in the U.S.. Katie sells her collection at Taigan, an e-

commerce store and has a made-to-measure clientele where she works with clients to create

custom-made dresses. Frank also has private clients but isn’t yet able to work on his collection



full time. The different backgrounds of each designer provide a rich framework in helping

understand how significant and unique the district is.

In addition, there were two interviews with senior fashion design students at Parsons. A

semi-structured, in-person interview was conducted with Debbie who interned for various

designers including Marc Jacobs and Elie Tahari. Contrary to what professors recommend their

students, Debbie has plans of starting her business after graduation. I met Debbie in the Urban

Studies University Lecture Course, Dynamic Metropolis. The second interview was not an in-

person interview. It was extremely difficult finding students who were willing to be participate

because they were busy working on their thesis. The student, who doesn’t want to be named, was

given a set of open-ended questions to answer through Debbie who is a classmate. While this

method lacks depth compared to the other interviews and the student is not often quoted in the

findings because of the lack of detail, it has been included in the data because I wanted to see if

there was any overlap with the comments Debbie made and there is greater strength in numbers.

I never met the student and for the purpose of this study, this student will be referred to as David.

News articles and my experience in the fashion industry have been the prime resource for

gaining background information because there is a shortage of academic studies on the Garment

District. While they provide up-to-date content, they lack detail, focus on the economic benefits,

and often quote or mention designers that are well-known and already established. Smaller

scaled designers and emerging designers comprise a small voice in the media but students are

entirely missing from the conversation. Interviews were the chosen method in order to obtain in-

depth information that is missing in the news coverage but also because the importance of the

Garment District is both economical and social. While profit margins and measuring efficiency



though time can be analyzed quantitatively, the relations that develop can best be explained using

personal experiences.



Findings After the interviews were completed and transcribed, common themes were extracted and

coded in order to organize the data and compare findings between the designers and the students.

The findings are organized into four sections representing the major themes that emerged in the

interviews that support what has been stated in the news articles but also add to the story.

Doing business in the Garment District Makes “Business Sense”

There is a consensus among designers and students that conducting business in the

Garment District, in Sarah's words, "makes business sense." Since the beginning their businesses,

all three designers have been manufacturing their garments in the district because there is greater

oversight on the production and it is convenient. Frank explains,

It is a lot easier to produce locally. You get rid of so many issues and little bumps you

really don’t want to deal with when you are starting your business...I don’t want to have

to wait two weeks to get a sample, see it fitted, and send it back to an overseas factory

and go back and forth like that. I don’t have the time and I don’t want to pay for the

shipping cost. By the time I ship that stuff back and forth...I might as well make it here.

Likewise, Sarah has been manufacturing in the Garment District since her very first sample

because “you can start small and manage and grow [the company] instead of throwing all your

money into a huge job overseas.” Manufacturing locally allows designers to have as much

control as possible over every aspect of their business. When asked how often she or her staff

visit the factories, Sarah replied, “constantly, so everyday” to ensure that the garments are made

correctly and the quality meets their expectations. Designers want to see their garments being

made, something that cannot be done if the job is completed overseas. Katie, who specializes in



evening wear and uses a lot of embroidery and fine fabrics such as lace, is “very picky” about

quality control. She explained that,

When we are working with such fine fabrics and embroideries, every little thing matters.

I ideally would like to be at my factory every other day or someone on my team... even

though some of our embroiders are done in India, they do the sewing there and [then]

hand it over here ...[where] we put the whole garment together so that way I can still see

how everything is being made and put together.

After graduating from the Fashion Institute of technology, Katie had a made-to-measure

clientele where women would work with her to create a custom-made dress. Originally based in

her hometown Greenwich, Connecticut, 40 minutes away, Katie would make trips to the

Garment District to go fabric shopping and buy supplies. After a few months, she began

searching for a space in the neighborhood because she “need[ed] to be closer to where

everything is. It is just overall easier." For Katie, moving her business to the Garment District

last March did not just make economic sense, there was also a feeling of homecoming. The

Garment District “holds a place in [her] heart” because she went to college there and all her

internships since high school have been in the neighborhood. She is not only familiar with the

district but an expert at navigating it to find what she needs at affordable costs. Her classes at FIT

taught her the basics but “everything [she] really learned is from [her] internships” which include

top designers like Vera Wang, Stella McCartney, and Oscar de la Renta. Katie explained that,

Teachers always sent us [to the Garment District], they gave us names of all the places

but... my internships taught me about where to go for supplies. For fabrics, you can go to



Mood... find the color chiffon and then you can go to C&J Textiles to get it at whole sale

price and they don't have minimums.

At 23 years old, having studied fashion design and been trained by top designers in the industry,

Katie is doing well. According to her, her company has grown a lot in the past year and there

have been many great opportunities. Although Katie’s formula for success is frequently followed,

it is certainly not the standard. The way the Garment District is physically structured and the

relationships and connections that can be formed make it possible for any aspiring designer to

succeed in the industry, even those without formal education or training.

Proximity and Agglomeration “I didn’t know a single soul in the Garment District because I didn't go to a fashion school,

but I figured it out," said Sarah. At Brown University, Sarah studied Gender Studies but went

into investment banking after learning accounting. “It makes no sense I know, it makes no

sense,” Sarah said laughing. But she didn’t decide to crossover to the fashion industry on a

whim. Sarah always was crafty and making dresses was a very serious hobby. After hours and

hours with her sewing machine, teaching herself from trial and error, she thought she had a

concept. Having always wanted to do something creative in her career, she decided to turn her

concept into a reality.

Not knowing which supply stores to purchase from or which factories to contract, Sarah had

to be creative and persistent to get the information she needed. She found some of her first bulk

supply stores by following the delivery guys with the rolls of fabric on their pushcarts. To find

the right factories to make her samples, Sarah,



would go door to door, find a building that had factories and I would go to every single

floor with my samples and say, can you do this, can you do this, can you do this? What's

the price, what's the price, what's the price? And that's how I did it because I had no idea.

Sarah's determination but also the physical layout of the district, the close proximity of supply

stores and factories, allowed her to navigate the district on her own. While time consuming,

Sarah's experience shows that it is not impossible. The activity on the streets and sidewalks, like

the rolls of fabric on the pushcarts, not only make the neighborhood vibrant but act as a roadmap.

The neighborhood’s density has also been beneficial to Frank who found his manufacturer, BK

Samples, after getting off the wrong floor from the elevator.

I was working with another factory in that building and I had gotten confused. I went to the

wrong floor, I hit the wrong button. A lot of things I do is because I am an idiot. I kind of

stumbled upon them...I got off the wrong floor and saw BK Samples and on the sign it says

high production or high quality production. I was like, let me go in and see real quick to

talk to them.

In the Garment District, there are buildings with factories on multiple floors and multiple

factories on each floor, allowing designers to easily and efficiently visit their manufacturers to

check on progress and answer any questions. Frank’s encounter with BK Samples maybe

accidental but the district’s agglomeration made it possible.

The convenience of having the fashion-related businesses clustered together within a few

blocks is recognized by students like Debbie who goes to the Garment District “all the time, for

the fabrics, for trims, everything.” When asked how she felt about The New School’s decision to



move from the Garment District on 40th Street to 14th Street in Union Square, Debbie

responded,

I’m actually kind of annoyed that the school moved from the Garment District area

because there is nothing around Union Square except New Utrecht and that’s for Fine

Arts. It’s like, when you think of Parsons, where is it at, Garment District.

Although multiple subway lines stop at Union Square, it is not the same as being able to walk

two or three blocks down the street. Not to mention carrying the materials downtown, sometimes

bulks of fabric, is more difficult. Debbie, who has interned for various designers throughout

college, also takes distance into consideration when deciding whom to intern for.

I actually prefer to intern in places in the Garment District because when they make you

do runs, it’s right there. I got offered an internship at Tommy Hilfiger and it’s all the way

on the West side. There was a sample sale there and I wouldn’t even go. It’s too far.

The Social Network and Formation of Interpersonal Relationships:

From the interviews with the designers and the students, the Garment District is valuable to

the fashion industry because of the agglomeration of factories and supply stores that enable

designers to literally piece together their creations. But the social fabric of the neighborhood is

also rich and crucial because the Garment District is a tight-knit community that works together

to support its people. Sarah especially credits this support system for her success. "What really

allowed me to be successful was having my factory take a chance on me, when I had no

customers. They took a chance on me and I'm so grateful for that." When Sarah first began her

business, she didn't have an office. She worked from home but spent most of her time in the

factory:



I was spending so much time in the factory [that] eventually they said, 'you know what,

let's set up a desk for you' so they like put two little boards together...and gave me a little

pen cup, and they're like, you have a desk here now! Everybody was clapping, it was the

cutest! I kind of felt like I was their daughter. They really took me under their wing and

really, really helped me grow. That's something you don't really get in other businesses.

Frank repeatedly mentioned how “kind and generous” the workers are at BK Samples. “Because

I work a regular design job, I’ll go before work or after work. I’m lucky that they are

accommodating, they’ll come in early or stay late.” Frank, who is saving money to produce for

sales, has also mentioned that his factory will even work with him financially. The relationships

that are built stem from the genuine desire to help one another succeed. They are invaluable and

cannot be replicated elsewhere. When asked if Katie still shops at the same supply stores she did

during college she replied, “Yes, I do. It’s so funny because there are some fabric places that I go

back to now and they remember me from when I was in college, when I was 19, 20 years old.”

The personal connections the designers develop are the reason why they have a strong emotional

attachment to the district. Even though Sarah currently manufactures Leota’s collection in the

Garment District and in Sunset Park, Brooklyn because the Brooklyn factories are cheaper, she

continues to believe in the importance of the Garment District. Ideally, she would love to have

three floors of a building in the Garment District to house her showroom, offices, design studio,

shipping facility and factory. Frank has similar hopes for the future and added that,

No matter what, I would always, even if [the business] grows to a point where it is an

internationally recognized label...I would never move production anywhere. I would



always keep it in New York City. It is just really something that important to me because

the city is so important to me.

The interviews with Katie, Sarah, and Frank show that the Garment District is an intricate

network that draws people together because it makes business sense and there is a desire to be

among a community of makers and creators. What starts as an individual idea grows into

community project so that when a garment is in its completed form, it not only bears the name of

the designer but the label Made in NYC which symbolizes all the hands that have helped bring

the garment to life.

Made in NYC vs. Made Overseas: According to the fashion designers, Made in NYC is not just a label that is sewn on each

of the garments. It represents many things: high quality and well-constructed garments, fair

working conditions, and the heartfelt relationships and the dedicated collaborations between

designers, manufacturers, and suppliers. The label is a declaration of pride.

I know it sounds cheesey when I say this but [the workers] take such care of the clothing.

After each season I will look at the collection with Jay and some of the seamstresses and

it’s great. We would go through and, granted we can’t really communicate because

English is their second language, but you see the expression on their faces, you can see

the pride they take in the clothing and it’s very heartwarming.

Frank, even if he found a good factory in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is from, would always

choose New York because it “adds an extra dimension to the clothing.”

Sarah, who “really proud to be Made in NYC,” further explains,



I think it's really special to be part of a community of makers right here in the U.S. where

you are really building relationships with all the vendors you work with... I'm really

proud to be creating jobs here...We are trying to invigorate our local communities...it's

great for our economy...all the small businesses.

However, the pride in having garments Made in NYC does not translate to the students.

In the Garment District, “you can do everything from fabric selecting to trimming as well as

pattern making and production,” said David. However for mass production or ready-to-wear,

“the cost of production is too much in New York City...I would send it to China or Korea since

they have great skills with lower labor prices.” The fashion industry is international community

and thus, “it doesn’t matter [where a garment is made] as much since we all are working in the

same industry.” Debbie also agrees with David that “it’s global, you can’t be stuck in the USA

forever. In order to grow, you can’t leave people out.” Where a garment is made depends on who

the customer is. For Debbie, it is a marketing strategy.

If you are selling it to American, Made in Italy, wow that’s so much nicer. If you are

trying to sell to an Asian country, Made in USA, Made in NYC is good. So, it depends

who you are selling to.

Both Debbie and David agree that when their starting businesses, beginning in the Garment

District is a no-brainer but they believe that expanding overseas is a natural state of progression.

It may not even be a stretch to say that it is the only state of progression. According to Debbie, in

her class of seventeen students, four manufactured their thesis collection overseas, even though it

is not permitted. She guesses that the students may know someone back home because “one girl

[she] know[s] went back to China and scouted them out” but it is unclear how the students found



the factories and the reasons for doing so. The most probable answer to why those four students

manufactured their thesis collection, comprising of five to seven looks (a top and bottom),

overseas is because as Frank says, “there is a prevailing idea that everything is made overseas.”

By manufacturing overseas early on to learn the process, starting even from their thesis

collection, the students believe it will give them leverage when they begin their own business.

While manufacturing overseas is still cheaper, the logic seems hard to justify because emerging

designers must start small. Until their customers increase they can then expand their production.

This perspective is different than the three designers interviewed because they would only move

production overseas if there wasn’t an alternative option, or according to Frank, never. From the

standpoint of the designers, manufacturing overseas is unnatural. If the Made in NYC movement

continues to grow, the cost of manufacturing overseas continues to increase, as predicted by the

Boston Consulting Group, and when students begin to form relationships with the people they do

business with, their views may change. While it is difficult to anticipate the decisions students

will make because of many factors, what is important now is educating them of the advantages

of doing business in the Garment District and encouraging them to begin their businesses there

by strengthening the district’s resources. Even though the Garment District continues to be

important to the fashion industry, due to the changes in the district as discussed above, in

Debbie’s words, the Garment District “seems like it is not doing so well.”



Discussion The neighborhood is an incubator for talent but there are some concerns and

improvements that have been voiced and should be addressed to better support current and future

designers. When asked how satisfied Katie is with the resources in the district, she responded,

“very satisfied. I really haven’t found any problems or anything.” However, Katie did mention

that as a growing small business, she wishes there are more low minimum suppliers that are

affordable because she doesn’t need to purchase large qualities, especially when designing for

her made-to-measure clienteles. Sarah, on the other hand, who has been in business longer,

addressed larger concerns, one being the need for upgraded machinery to replace machines

“from the 70s that... look like an antique junk shop.” Although Frank agrees that “the machines

are probably the first machines the company ever had and they never changed them,” he

believes,

It’s the person at the sewing machine that makes the magic happen. There is a saying that

I always remember. It’s the poor craftsman that always blames his tools...If you put one

of these seamstresses at the sewing machine, no matter what kind of sewing machine it is,

I bet you my last dollar it’s going to come out beautiful.

The importance of new, high-end machinery can be argued but there is a more pressing concern

Sarah raised that goes undisputed.

Everybody who works in the Garment District is... telling their kids to do something else

with their lives. They are sewing dresses so their kids can go to college and do something

else. There isn’t a replenishment of labor... My cutter says to me, as he is smoking a

cigarette, ‘I am going to drop dead on this table.’ And I’m like, ‘okay Glen, just give me



time so I can find another cutter!’... I would like to see more young people going into the

Garment District.

While the concerns of designers pertain to maintaining business in the Garment District, Debbie

addresses challenges of starting one. In the beginning of the year, students are given a list of

supply stores but they are only the big ones, Mood, Bead World, and Steinlauf and Stoller. They

are not familiar with the hidden, little ones that may carry special materials or have cheaper

prices because when students ask their professors for recommendations,

they are always like, look it up because they are working in the field themselves. They

don’t really want to help you. Some professors don’t want to help you. It’s just how it is.

That’s why they are still out there. If given the choice, they are not going to teach.

But many factories and supply stores in the Garment District don’t have websites or any contact

information online. Unless been told by word of mouth, they are difficult, or even impossible to

find. Debbie explains the trouble she had when looking for a printing place.

I wasn’t able to find a lot of printing places, there is only five in the whole New York

area. But I’m sure there is more. But when I Googled, there is only five. They probably

don’t have a website and I don’t have time to browse.

Addressing these concerns and strengthening the Garment District’s resources will be needed to

better support emerging and established designers and accommodate the growth of the Made in

NYC movement. Every facet of the Garment District is important in keeping the neighborhood

in sync and running. If one sector begins to decline, the cycle becomes disrupted. As the

Garment District nurtures the fashion industry, it supports the greater New York. Supporting the

Garment District means supporting local businesses, which in turn fuels the local economy.



Designers who do business in the neighborhood understand that retaining the Garment District is

both a need and a desire, not just for themselves and their business but for every person they

interact with in every stage of the design and production. It is this understanding that needs to be

transmitted to everyone else.

This research project begins to unfold the complexity and importance of New York City’s

Garment District. Due to the richness and scope of the topic, there are many other areas for

further research including the possible impact of 3D printing, the increase in manufacturing in

other boroughs, and the inclusion of fashion design students from other fashion schools such as

the Fashion Institute of Technology. From what I have seen at the 3D Printshow in February, the

majority of the 3D printed fashion now is decorative rather than functional and falls into the

category of accessories than garments. However, 3D printing is growing in use and technological

advancement, which raises the question whether 3D printing in the future will replace the

traditional process of garment production. Manufacturing has trickled out to other boroughs,

especially Brooklyn. A study comparing the manufacturing process in Brooklyn to the Garment

District would be another interesting research project. Lastly, since universities and students are

underrepresented in the discussion, continuing to research the student network but also analyzing

the curriculum of Parsons and FIT would help better understand the relationship between schools

as an institution, their students, and the Garment District.



Conclusion

New York’s Garment District continues to be significant to the fashion industry today

because of the economic advantages and the familial relationships that help designers succeed.

Unlike other industries, formal education and experience are advantageous but not determining

factors. The Garment District is a tight-knit community but it is not exclusive. As the Made in

NYC movement continues to grow, the Garment District can and should be revitalized, not

because people are nostalgic of its past but because it makes logical sense for it to exist today.



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Appendix:

A. The Making of a Garment One of Katie’s looks from her Fall/ Winter 2014 collection is used to visually show how designers benefit from the Garment’s District’s proximity by mapping out the location of Katie’s studio, supply stores she went to, and factory that manufactured the look.

B. Headquarters of Nanette Lepore Photos of the 5th studio in addition to an outline headquarters of Nanette Leopre, a well-known, high-end designer who manufactures 85% of her collection in Garment District, show that even within her business, proximity is crutial. Her production team of designers, pattern makers, cutters, and seamstresses are not only on the same floor but steps from the door of her office. The vertical integration that Sarah and Frank hope for their businesses in the future is what Nanette has achieved.

C. Interview Questions for Designers (Used as guiding questions) Katie Sarah Frank

D. Interview Questions for Debbie (Used as guiding questions)

E. Interview Question Sheet given to David



C.

Katie: 1.Why did you locate your business in the Garment District? 2.How long have you been there? 3.Was it difficult to find a space to rent? 4.Can you walk me through how you began your business? 5.What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing business in the Garment District? 6.How did you decide which factories and supply stores to go to? 7.How satisfied are you with the resources in the Garment District? 8.Are there any changes you’d like to see in the neighborhood? 9.What are people’s reactions when you tell them you design and manufacture in the Garment

District? 10. What does “Made in NYC” mean to you?

Sarah: 1.How long have you been manufacturing your collection in the Garment District? 2.Why did you decide to manufacture in there? 3.What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing business in the Garment District? 4.Are you satisfied with the resources in the Garment District? 5.How did you begin your business? 6.Can you walk me through a typical day? 7.When you tell people you manufacture your collection in the Garment District, what are their

reactions? 8.What does “Made in NYC” mean to you? 9.Do you plan on continuing manufacturing in the district?

Frank: 1.I read in an interview that you started to study Finance and Political Science. Was it difficult to

make that switch to fashion? Why fashion? 2.Can you walk me through your career path after graduating from Parsons? 3.Why have you chosen to manufacture your collection here instead of overseas? 4.What are some of the advantages and challenges of doing business in the district? 5.What are people’s reactions when you tell them your gaments are manufactured in the

Garment District? 6.What does “Made in NYC” mean to you? 7.Do you think it matters to your clients where your clothes are made? 8.What are your plans for expanding? 9.Do you plan on continuing manufacturing in the Garment District even after you start

increasing production?



D.

1. Can you tell me about your senior collection. What is your focus, what is your inspiration? 2. Can you describe the process to me? What is it like from idea to the final garment? 3. What are the requirements for your thesis? 4. Do you work with an advisor? What decisions does your advisor help you with? 5. How often do you go to the Garment District and for what? 6. What were your experiences interning for other designers? What have you learned from those experiences design and business wise? 7. Where are the best places (locations) to work in fashion? 8. How do you feel about the New School’s decision to relocate Parson’s downtown? 9. What are your plans after graduation? 10. In your opinion, what resources do you need to start your own business?



E.

1. How is the majority of your thesis collection being produced? A. By hand — go to question 2A B. By a factory in NYC — go to question 2B C. By a factory overseas — go to question 2C

2A. Do you agree with Parsons that it is important for students to make the collection on their own? Why? — go to question 4

2B. Why did you decide to manufacture your collection in a factory in New York and how did you find the factory or factories to manufacture your collection? — go to question 3A

2C. Why did you decide to manufacture your collection overseas and how did you find the factory or factories? — go to question 3B

3A. Can you describe the process from design to the final garment?

3B. Can you describe the process from design to the final garment?

4. Do you think it is possible to design and manufacture in the Garment District? Why/Whynot?

5. Do you think the Garment District has the resources you need to start your own business? Why/Why not?

6. If you were to start your business after graduation, what is your ideal set up? Where would want to be based? Where would your garments be made?

7. In your opinion, does it matter where your garments are made? What fators influence your decision?


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