Garment District

July 15, 2024

Colorful lanterns sparkle over Broadway in the Garment District

A series of colorful lanterns are now sparkling above Broadway as part of a new public art installation in Midtown. The Garment District Alliance last week unveiled "New Start, New Hope," an exhibition featuring 135 colorful lanterns illuminating three plazas between 36th and 39th Streets. Created by local artist Xin Song, the installation adds brightness and a sense of calm to one of the city's busiest areas.
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September 18, 2023

An illuminated steel whale has surfaced on Broadway

A massive, illuminated steel whale has arrived on the streets of the Garment District. Located on the Broadway pedestrian plazas between 38th and 39th Streets, "Echoes – A Voice from Unchartered Waters" is a 55-foot-long interactive art and sound installation meant to inspire deeper thought about the ways our daily routines affect the environment. Created by artist, designer, and researcher Mathias Gmachl, "Echoes" is free and open to the public through November 13. The installation is the latest public artwork sponsored by the Garment District Alliance.
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February 16, 2023

See the Garment District’s new Big Button sculpture

The Garment District's iconic button & needle sculpture has been replaced with a new, permanent art installation. The Garment District Alliance on Thursday unveiled the new Big Button sculpture on the corner of Fashion Avenue and 39th Street. Designed by Local Projects and UAP Company, the sculpture measures 28 feet tall and has a 15-foot diameter aluminum button with a bright yellow automotive finish and a 32-foot brushed stainless steel needle, honoring the neighborhood's rich history in the world of fashion.
See the button
October 11, 2022

The Garment District’s iconic button & needle kiosk will be redesigned

The iconic button and needle sculpture and information kiosk that has sat on a Garment District corner since the 1970s is getting a makeover. Located on Seventh Avenue and 39th Street, the new permanent art installation will be 28 feet tall and include a 15-foot diameter aluminum button and a 32-foot brushed stainless steel needle, according to the Garment District Alliance. The sculpture, which will replace the now-vacant kiosk, is set to be completed in December.
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April 18, 2022

These giant sculptures in the Garment District ‘wave hello’ to New Yorkers

New Yorkers will be greeted with outstretched arms the next time they walk through Midtown. Located on Broadway between 38th and 41st Streets, Here is a public art exhibition featuring 14 oversized sculptures with their hands raised high above their heads. Created by artist Santi Flores, Here is meant to represent unity, diversity, and individuality, and is dedicated to all New Yorkers. The installation is the latest public art exhibition to be sponsored by the Garment District Alliance and is free and open to the public until August 29.
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January 11, 2022

New art exhibit lets you walk through a glowing tunnel in the Garment District

A small section of Broadway in the Garment District has been transformed into a glowing tunnel. The Garment District Alliance today revealed Passage, an art installation consisting of 20 illuminated circles that form a tunnel for pedestrians to walk through. The art piece is interactive, with each ring radiating light and emitting sound as participants pass by them. Located on Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets, the free immersive art experience will be open to the public until February 13.
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January 15, 2021

Walk through a kaleidoscope of rotating, glimmering prisms in the Garment District

The Garment District Alliance has unveiled a new public art exhibit in the Broadway plaza between 39th and 40th Streets. Called Prismatica, it's made up of 25, six-foot-tall pivoting prisms that reflect the colors of the rainbow and turn the street a "glimmering winter kaleidoscope." The piece was created by RAW Design in collaboration with ATOMIC3 and is on view through January 30th.
Check it out
September 21, 2020

Huge hound sculptures made of recycled materials take over Midtown

Over-sized sculptures of dogs have been installed along Broadway in Midtown's Garment District. Created by artist Will Kurtz, the gigantic public art exhibit "Doggy Bags," features six sculptures of different breeds of dogs, all made out of recycled single-use materials, like plastic bags. The exhibit, which can be found between 38th and 40th Streets, will be on display through November 20.
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January 3, 2020

See inside The Deco, an eclectic new food hall in Midtown West

A new food hall opened this month in Manhattan's Garment District, adding some bold flavors to the mostly lackluster options in the neighborhood. Located at 231 West 39th Street, The Deco Food + Drink features eight family-owned vendors, a cocktail bar, and event space. An ode to 1920s New York, the Carpenter & Mason-designed space features an Art Deco aesthetic, with geometric tiles, bright blues, and brass accents framing each section.
See inside
July 12, 2019

An urban garden will grow on a Garment District block this summer

One of the city’s busiest neighborhoods is getting a little slice of peace. The Garment District Alliance and the city's Department of Transportation unveiled a new street art installation Wednesday afternoon. The nearly 180-foot painting by artist Carla Torres, "Nymph Pond," takes up the stretch of Broadway between 37th and 38th Streets. The best part? The block with the mural is being temporarily set aside as an “urban garden” until the end of the summer.
See it here
June 20, 2019

Art Deco-inspired food hall opening in Midtown will offer Filipino fare, Hawaiian bites, and more

Manhattan's Garment District is getting a new food and beverage concept in early September. Located at 231 West 39th Street, The Deco Food + Drink will include a food hall, cocktail bar, and event space aimed at appealing to both office workers in Midtown and tourists known to flock to the neighborhood. On Wednesday, the food hall released its list of vendors and the line-up promises to offer a variety of cuisines, from French baked goods to traditional Filipino fare.
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April 3, 2019

Where I Work: Noam Grossman wants to perfect the NYC slice at his throwback pizzeria Upside

How do you heighten something as ubiquitous in New York City as a slice of pizza? It’s all about the dough. Noam Grossman, the founder of Upside Pizza, which opened in the Garment District in January, uses a 100 percent naturally leavened dough with a sourdough starter, unbleached flour, and a rise time of 72 hours. Grossman credits this mixture, along with the use of a brick-lined oven and in-house ingredients, for making Upside Pizza stand out among the hundreds of other slice joints found across the city. With a team consisting of dollar-slice gurus Eli and Oren Halai, of 2 Bros. Pizza, and pizza consultant Anthony Falco, of Roberta’s fame, Grossman’s pizzeria elevates the New York slice experience while retaining its grab-and-go roots. “We’re not cranking out quick-made pies,” Grossman told 6sqft. “We’re working tirelessly to make our pies memorable, and the absolute best they can be.” And all of this is happening in a 330-square-foot joint on the busy corner of 39th Street, across from the Port Authority. Boasting a colorful, in-your-face aesthetic, the inspiration for Upside Pizza's design came from "the nostalgia of being a kid in the '90s when hip hop and sports reigned supreme, and local pizza parlors were places of community gathering," he said. Ahead, hear from Grossman on Upside Pizza's plan to perfect the slice, the pizzeria's expansion, and his favorite slice joint in the city.
Meet Noam
January 11, 2019

Illuminated Garment District installation ‘Iceberg’ wants you to think about climate change

Earlier this week The Garment District Alliance unveiled "Iceberg," an immersive art installation on the Broadway pedestrian plazas along Broadway from West 37th to 38th Streets. Created by ATOMIC3 & Appareil Architecture, in collaboration with Jean-Sébastien Côté and Philippe Jean, the installation allows the public to generate a light and sound show as they pass through the metal arches of the installation, which react to the pace of each participant by turning different colors. But there’s more to it than pretty lights—the installation also carries an environmental message.
See the lights
December 21, 2018

City Council passes comprehensive Garment District rezoning plans

On Thursday, the City Council unanimously passed a rezoning of the Garment District in Midtown Manhattan. As part of a larger manufacturing strategy, the plan for Midtown is intended to preserve production space and ensure long-term stability for the fashion industry, while also supporting the other industries that are growing in the area. As 6sqft previously reported, the citywide plan includes the creation of a 200,000-square foot garment production hub at the Made in NY Campus in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
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October 4, 2018

As it creates new fashion hub in Midtown, the city still pegs Sunset Park as next garment district

The city is looking to partner with a nonprofit to buy a building in the Garment District that would become a new hub for fashion businesses. The New York City Economic Development Corporation on Thursday released a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) seeking realtors who want to work with the city to acquire a Midtown property, the Commercial Observer first reported. While the city is looking to preserve Midtown's Garment District, primed for a rezoning, at the same time, it is still luring apparel makers and other manufacturers to Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
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June 5, 2018

City unveils plan to keep fashion industry in the Garment District

The city released on Monday a plan to preserve at least 300,000 square feet of production space in the Garment District for the fashion industry by providing tax breaks for owners who lease manufacturing space. While the district, bound by 35th and 40th Streets and Broadway and Ninth Avenue, was once home to hundreds of thousands of fashion jobs, it has lost 85 percent of firms in the last three decades. In addition to the tax incentives, the plan creates a new zoning rule that would help limit the construction of hotels by introducing a special permit. The Garment Center IDA program, backed by City Hall, the city's Economic Development Corporation, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and industry leaders, also includes lifting previous protections from a 1987 mandate that preserves millions of square feet of apparel-production space on certain side streets. According to the Wall Street Journal, if the plan is approved by the city council, owners would be allowed to convert buildings to other uses, like offices.
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April 3, 2017

Alexis Bittar, Clara Sunwoo ink leases at Industry City, bringing total fashion space to 350,000+ square feet

There's been much talk in the past couple months about the city's push to drive the fashion industry from its long-time home in the Garment District to new, lower-cost space in Sunset Park. The new, $136 million, 200,000-square-foot "Made in NYC Campus" has become synonymous with the shift, but the adjacent Industry City mega-development has been at the forefront since even beforeBelvedere Capital and Jamestown Properties took over in 2013. With tenants such as the Gap, Bauble Bar, and Rag & Bone, they've now announced that internationally known jewelry company Alexis Bittar will lease an additional 10,000 square feet (they already have 17,000), and a source tells us that women's apparel label Clara Sunwoo is leasing 14,000 square feet of space, moving completely from the Garment District. This brings Industry City's total space leased to fashion companies to 350,000 square feet, more than 200,000 of which is manufacturing space.
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March 24, 2017

City reveals garment district rezoning plans, citing incentives to move makers to Sunset Park

At a Manhattan community board meeting Wednesday evening, city officials told garment industry representatives of plans to remove Midtown's manufacturing preservation requirement, Crain's reports. The change to a 1987 zoning rule means that landlords will have the option to rent the formerly set-aside space to commercial office tenants. City officials cited the failure of the preservation effort to meet its goal, highlighted by a reported 83 percent decline the number of garment workers–from 30,000 to 5,100– since it was first implemented. As 6sqft recently reported, the rezoning is seen as "a clear push to drive these businesses toward lower cost space in Sunset Park."
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February 28, 2017

City’s planned Garment District rezoning will reduce protections for fashion companies

Just two weeks after the city announced that they'd spend $136 million to create the "Made in NYC Campus," a hub in Sunset Park that will provide affordable space for film and fashion companies, it's come to light that the de Blasio administration has been planning a rezoning of Manhattan's Garment District. As Crain's explains, this could potentially roll back rules that require landlords to rent a portion of their buildings to fashion companies, a clear push to drive these businesses toward lower cost space in Sunset Park.
More info ahead
February 8, 2017

The city’s struggling garment industry finds a new home in Sunset Park

At its peak in 1950, the city's garment industry employed 323,669 New Yorkers. By 2000, this number had dropped to 59,049, and in 2015, it was less than half that with just 22,626 residents "making apparel, accessories, and finished textile products," reports the Times. The struggling trade, long centered in the area bound by 5th/9th Avenues and 35th/41st Streets, has fallen victim not only to national trends of work being shipped overseas, but local issues like rising rents, outdated facilities, and competition from tech and media companies. But thanks to a collaboration between the city and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, a "new, modern garment district" is taking hold in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where several industrial conversions offer cheaper rents, better equipped real estate, and a creative, collaborative community
Much more on the shift
August 5, 2015

Could This Deconstructivist Office Tower Be Coming to the Garment District?

The visualization wizzes at Hayes Davidson posted this image of a hyper-modern tower addition atop an imposing Verizon-owned building at 230 West 36th Street. While few details are provided with the accompanying image, an article from the Times last year mentioned that the top two floors and some unused development rights of the 1924 building were being shopped around to developers as a potential hotel site. The rendered building appears to be a commercial office building, however. With the dearth of development sites suitable for large office floor plates east of Ninth Avenue, and a hot Midtown South office market where vacancy rates hover near 9 percent, the site could be a prime opportunity to construct new office space in the heart of the Times Square/Penn Station sub-market.
More details ahead
January 13, 2015

Making the Cut: Is NYC Still the World’s Fashion Capital?

Will 21st century New York City be able to retain its fashion capital status? How does an aspiring fashionista build a brilliant career? The answers come from a winning combination of education, innovation and inspiration, plus financial and media support. Though styles come and go with dizzying speed and designers fall in and out of favor, New York City has held the title of global fashion capital since the mid 20th century, when it rose to prominence with the unprecedented idea of developing sportswear as fashion. Today’s NYC is home to some of the world's top fashion schools whose famous graduates add to the city’s fashion culture and networks. Foreign designers choose to live and work here because of this status and creative energy, adding even more to the fabric. We may share this pedestal with quirky London–and trés chic Paris, the brainy Belgians, the stylish Scandinavians and the ascendant Aussies make things more interesting–but NYC is known as the place where style ideas and trends are born and exchanged.
But is NYC still the world's fashion capital?
December 8, 2014

Nobutaka Ashihara-Designed Hotel Coming to the Garment District

A 22-story limited-service hotel is gearing up to rise in Midtown at 4-6 West 37th Street. According to new building permits filed this past weekend, a 120-key 60,000 square-foot development will go up at the 4,200 square-foot lot situated between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Two charming six-story buildings, erected in 1920, will be be demolished for the 210-foot tall project designed by notable hotel designer Nobutaka Ashihara Architects. The firm recently opened the city's tallest hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park at 1717 Broadway.
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September 17, 2014

Sunset Park: How Creativity and Commerce are Transforming This Waterfront Neighborhood

With plans in place that call for a public waterfront bustling with creative industry and commerce rather than luxury residential developments, Sunset Park is not on its way to becoming the next hip NYC residential neighborhood–and that’s a good thing. Located on Brooklyn's western waterfront flank, there are really two sides to Sunset Park. The neighborhood, generally defined as the area between 65th Street, the Prospect Expressway, Eighth Avenue and the East River, has long been a thriving residential community. Sunset Park is also home to about 15 million square feet of warehouse and light industrial space. The key to the neighborhood’s future may be the point at which the two meet.
Find Out How Fashion May Give Sunset Park a Chance to Shine As the New Garment District