Koreatown Museum Bridges the Cultural Gap for Americans, Koreans
Karen Madsen leaned over the glass case, peering with great interest at the assortment of colorful knots; clumps of jewel-colored tassels all consisting of a single, long thread. As she considered the traditional Korean knots, called norigae, Robert Turley explained the knots’ incredible value as artifacts that were difficult to come by and owned only by those who were royal or extremely wealthy.
One Year Later, Fashion Initiatives are Getting Off the Ground
In November of 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky, announced a series of six initiatives the city intended to launch to bolster and support the city’s famed Garment District, and to squelch the notion that outsourcing and the city’s desire to re-zone are threatening the vitality of the neighborhood.
Who Works in the Garment District?
The Garment District The Garment District spans the west side of Midtown Manhattan from Ninth Avenue to Fifth Avenue, from 34th Street to 40th Street. It is less than one square mile in area—but is key to the manufacturing history of New York City. The first purpose of the city’s garment industry was the production […]
Designer Struggles to Stay Afloat
Patricia Harper has had her studio in the heart of the Garment District for 5 years. But as the area changes, she worries about being left behind.
Slush Storm Hits New York
Midtown Manhattan on Saturday was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. An unwelcome sight, perhaps, given the proximity of the snowstorm to Halloween. Slush accumulated in city gutters and visible white tufts clung to car tops and treetops throughout the afternoon, prompting such nicknames as Snowtober and Trick or Sleet. The Weather Channel […]
Mayor of the Garment District: Using FourSquare to Track Designers
Researchers at Columbia University spent two weeks in July tracking designers and others in the fashion industry how they moved about the Garment District. Their trick for keeping track of the designers? Having them check in on their smartphones with Four Square, a popular social media application.
Designers Strive to Market Garment District Pride
Word on Fashion Avenue is that designers are packing up and leaving New York City’s famed Garment District. In response, several designers have taken a stand: The district is still a valuable part of the city and they aren’t going anywhere. They’re promoting their clothing as 100 percent locally-made in Midtown Manhattan.
Design Competition Connects Fashion with Architecture in Pop-up Store
Architecture and fashion are typically considered two separate forms of design with little to do with each other, but Faris Al-Shathir is working to change that notion.
Al-Shathir is director and co-founder of BOFFO, a non-profit organization that works to convert empty, unused spaces in New York City into art. This fall, the organization is sponsoring five competitions and a series of exhibits to connect high-profile fashion designers with architects to collaborate on a Tribeca pop-up store — a previously dark, abandoned space transformed into a glitzy retail shop, teeming with people engaged as much in taking photographs as shopping.
