At 7th Avenue and 39th Street in Manhattan there is a giant needle threaded through the hole of a button. I passed it for years when running errands in midtown for a casting director’s office before connecting its significance to the important historic and commercial district nearby: the Garment District.
Today New York has more design houses than any other city in the world, and have relied on the Garment District for more than a century as a one-stop-shop for accessories, fine fabrics, cheap fabrics, and sewing services. But with new zoning laws, as well as job loss in the poor economy and an overall homogenization of culture, many businesses have closed forever, and garment sellers have moved to other, more affordable cities.
Famous fashionistas and fashionistos like Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, and Nanette Lepore have all stepped forward to protect this midtown stretch between 5th and 9th Avenues and 34th to 42nd Streets from high rents, developers, yuppy condos, and worse.
Anna Sui, oh she of the lovely Baby Doll dress, has been campaigning hard on behalf of the Garment District since 2008. Efforts have included a basic heather gray t-shirt with simple white serif font in all caps urging SAVE THE GARMENT DISTRICT.
Most recently, Anna Sui led a study with photos, 3D images, and interviews of fashion icons to document exactly how the district has diminished in the last several years.
Read more about Anna’s efforts at savethegarmentcenter.org.
