The Fashion District

The Fashion District, also known at the Garment District, is one of the most popular neighborhoods in New York City. As you might be able to guess, the present and past history of the location has made it one of the most important locations in the fashion industry.  Located in the borough of Manhattan, the Garment District is just a short walk from many of the other huge attractions in the city. It is located between fifth and ninth Avenue, and is generally considered to run from around 34^th Street, up to 42^nd Street.

The location is most known for fashion design and the manufacturing of fashion. Throughout the history of the location, the manufacturing warehouses have provided thousands of workers with high paying jobs that helped drive the economy of New York City. Even though the entirety of the area is less than a square mile, the area has most of New York’s showrooms and also has some of the largest major fashion labels in the world headquartered there. Only Los Angeles and New York have fashion districts that are comparable in size and reverence in the fashion industry.

One could argue that the Fashion District is the capital of fashion in the United States. In less than one square mile, they are able to generate an average of more than $14 billion in sales per year, and create designs that are emulated around the world.

Some of the largest fashion designer labels in the country are located inside of the Fashion District. These companies include Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, Nicole Miller, Donna Karan and Oscar de la Renta. Each of the companies has a number of different properties that are located inside of the Fashion District that may include showrooms, production warehouses and customer services offices.

The start of the Fashion District was slow, originally producing clothes for slaves who mostly worked on southern plantation. As the years went on, the craftsmen within the district became known for their attention to detail, and eventually the clothing supply stores moved away from clothing that was made for slaves. It was not until the 1820s that most Americans stopped creating their own clothes and starting purchasing ready-made clothes from stores. Up until that time, the only clothes that were available for purchase had to be tailor made.

The Civil War also launched the popularity of the Fashion District, as thousands of uniforms had to be made for the soldiers. Today, the problem is not that there aren’t enough customers; it’s that overseas labor is much less expensive than paying American workers for the same work. This fact has hurt the Fashion District for decades.

The Fashion District is one of the most popular locations in New York. The fact that it is located so close to many transportation services makes it easy to visit for locals and tourists alike. People come from around the country to take a look at the clothing that is sold in the Fashion District.