From buttons to boas, New York
City’s legendary Fashion District has it all. Now, with the help of a new
FCBID guide, everyone from fashionistas to home sewers can find th
eir way
to the same materials used by the brand name designers and manufacturers.
Produced and published by the FCBID, The Fashion District Source Book is the perfect guide for the home sewer, crafter, fashion student, decorator, stylist, or designer. Budding designers Jocelyn Simms and Victoria Somers wrote the book while attending Kent State University’s NYC Studio.
Organized
into twelve sections, covering fabrics, leather, fur, home d ́cor, lace,
bridal, trim, patterns, beading, buttons, and notions, the source book
is a great tool for uncovering the Fashion District’s unique deals and
products. Each section includes all retail store listings, covering the
essential information (address, hours, phone numbers, and the offerings
of each), as well as tips and strategies for dealing with store layouts
and personnel. The listings highlight the specialties of each store, making
it easier for the shopper to find exactly what they need. The Fashion District
Source Book is available at the Fashion Center Information Kiosk on Seventh
Avenue at 39th Street in Manhattan and at www.fashioncenter.com.
The FCBID is working with the U.S. Department of Commerce in presenting a series of seminars to address recent changes in trade regulations. These technical seminars are being offered at a very low cost to district fashion businesses which source and/or sell overseas. For more information, contact the FCBID at 212-764-9600.
Identity Map has completed the FCBID’s twelfth survey of the Fashion District. This year saw the highest response rate of any year thus far, 70% This is an extraordinary level of response, which Identity attributes to the FCBID’s recognition amongst its members and the broad approval of the work of the organization.
This year, it was reported that 82 new apparel or 118 new fashion compa- nies moved into the district from outside of the district. This added a net gain of 263 apparel or 402 fashion jobs in the district.
The overall reported job situation has increased, and is at record high. The highest numeric loss is ground floor tenants at a loss of 27 tenants and 255 employees over the past year. The drop is mainly due to hotel constructions taking away ground floor space inventory.
The also indicated that there are twelve new hotels being built in the district and one new residential building. Most of these hotels are on the western edge of the district where the area was rezoned for the development of the Hudson Yards.
While the area has attracted several retail franchise stores, there have been no new significant restaurants or stores. However, it is expected that this will change as the new hotels come on line.
Finally, quite surprisingly, this year, for the first time,
there was no downturn in production or wholesaling; In fact, production
increased slightly this year. While this would seem to be encouraging
news for the manufacturing sector, the significance of this information
will not be known for several years until it can be determined whether
this is the beginning of a trend or simply an anomaly.
