Fight for your right to look hot: Rally to save NYC's garment district

By Polichicks on October 20, 2009 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Calling fashionistas everywhere! The fashion industry needs you.

Proposed New York City legislation threatens to shut down NYC's garment district, the birthplace and incubator of many American fashion designers.

According to rally organizers, New York City has failed to enforce zoning laws in the garment district and now wants to lift them completely. As a result, garment center factories are losing their leases and illegally being forced out by their landlords. Young American designers and design students depend on these factories for their small production needs. New design talent working with very limited budgets will have a very difficult time starting and growing fashion businesses if they cannot produce their designs in small quanties. And without new talent, the fashion industry will shrink considerably and offer fewer innovative design ideas.

How does this affect you? If the fashion industry shuts down, you'll have to walk around looking like a Cosmo don't. So fight for your right to look hot.

Fashion insiders are fighting like hell to save their industry and craft. Designer Nanette Lepore and the president of her company, Robert Savage, authored a New York Times op-ed supporting the garment district. Ms. Lepore and her colleagues also came to Capitol Hill recently to educate politicos about the matter and ask for help.

So here are the deets on the rally (word for word from an email sent to us by organizers):

SAVE NYC's GARMENT DISTRICT NOW

Mayoral Candidate Comptroller Thompson, and Simon
Collins, Dean of Fashion, Parsons The New School for Design to
speak!

WHO: Fashion Organizations and Garment Center Resources
WHAT: A Rally to Save NYC's Garment District
WHEN: Wednesday, October 21st @ 12:00 PM
WHERE: In front of The Button & Needle Statue (39th & 7th Ave.)

Most of you know about the changes that have already undermined and now
threaten the very existence of the Garment District. Now, before the upcoming
Mayoral election, it's time for us to take action!

Negotiations are underway to obliterate the existing zoning laws that protect
your factories, offices, and shops in the garment center. It is imperative
that we urge Mayor Bloomberg to reconsider his plans for this neighborhood.
If we fail to organize and visibly show the city -- and the world -- our
support for New York City's Garment District, we will lose the skilled labor
workers and supply shops we currently have at our fingertips, and the future
of the fashion industry in New York City will be forever altered.

The current list of possible speakers includes: Stan Herman, former President
CFDA; Nanette Lepore; Yeohlee Teng; Steve Kolb, Executive Director CFDA; Bruce
Raynor, President Workers United; and Edgar Romney, Workers United. Political
outreach includes: President Clinton, Caroline Kennedy, Mayor Bloomberg,
Borough President Stringer, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Schumer, Congressman
Nadler, and Congresswoman Maloney.

Here's what the fashion industry asking you to do:
* Please attend the rally.