A rally was held yesterday in midtown to call for protection of the Garment Center and to protest its loss of jobs.
Speakers included Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post.
An article by Adrianne Pasquarelli yesterday at crainsnewyork.com said that the rally took place in front of the neighborhood's button and needle statue on Seventh Avenue and noted that while the district is home to 21,500 fashion-related jobs that number has declined 42 percent over the last 15 years and that in the 1960's more than 200,000 people worked in the fashion industries in the city.
"We can no longer afford to outsource our manufacturing," said Robert Savage, president of Nanette Lepore, who moderated the event, the article said, adding that Ms. Lepore, his wife, was also in attendance, as were fellow designers Yeohlee Teng and Malia Mills.
Like last year, hundreds of attendees sported printed signs reading "It's Sew New York," and "Save the Fashion District."
"While the city has backed away from its controversial rezoning of the district, which spans roughly the area between Sixth and Ninth avenues and West 35th and West 40th streets," the article said, "a new plan of protection for the neighborhood has yet to emerge."
Earlier this spring, the article continued, "the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Municipal Arts Society put together a 'Made in Midtown' study of the neighborhood, and found that the area remains vibrant for creativity and is still home to over 800 fashion companies. The garment center also houses several costume design houses, which produce for Broadway and the theater district."
Bruce Raynor, president of union Workers United, told the rally about the success of last year's fight to stop apparel firm Hugo Boss from closing its Cleveland factory and outsourcing production to Turkey. The article said that Mr. Raynor declared that "Lip service is over," adding that "It's time for real policies to protect this industry."
Speakers included Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post.
An article by Adrianne Pasquarelli yesterday at crainsnewyork.com said that the rally took place in front of the neighborhood's button and needle statue on Seventh Avenue and noted that while the district is home to 21,500 fashion-related jobs that number has declined 42 percent over the last 15 years and that in the 1960's more than 200,000 people worked in the fashion industries in the city.
"We can no longer afford to outsource our manufacturing," said Robert Savage, president of Nanette Lepore, who moderated the event, the article said, adding that Ms. Lepore, his wife, was also in attendance, as were fellow designers Yeohlee Teng and Malia Mills.
Like last year, hundreds of attendees sported printed signs reading "It's Sew New York," and "Save the Fashion District."
"While the city has backed away from its controversial rezoning of the district, which spans roughly the area between Sixth and Ninth avenues and West 35th and West 40th streets," the article said, "a new plan of protection for the neighborhood has yet to emerge."
Earlier this spring, the article continued, "the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Municipal Arts Society put together a 'Made in Midtown' study of the neighborhood, and found that the area remains vibrant for creativity and is still home to over 800 fashion companies. The garment center also houses several costume design houses, which produce for Broadway and the theater district."
Bruce Raynor, president of union Workers United, told the rally about the success of last year's fight to stop apparel firm Hugo Boss from closing its Cleveland factory and outsourcing production to Turkey. The article said that Mr. Raynor declared that "Lip service is over," adding that "It's time for real policies to protect this industry."
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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