Episode 26 - The Rise, Fall, and Evolution of NYC's Garment District

The Garment District in New York City undergoes a fascinating transformation from its origins as a red-light district known as "The Tenderloin" to becoming the epicenter of American fashion manufacturing and design. We explore how this neighborhood shaped the American fashion industry through crisis, innovation, and cultural shifts.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Free audio.
Post production by Alphoniccom.
Hey divas and welcome toMagnifique, your favorite
fashion historian fashionencyclopedia podcast.
Today we talk about the garmentdistrict in New York City
Coincidentally sparked myinterest through my encyclopedia

(00:21):
.
I think that's going to be arunning theme for a lot of the
coming topics, so bear with me.
She's growing her brain, she'sreading encyclopedias.
Now who she turns 26, and allof a sudden she's a little
freaky.
So, yes, today we talk aboutthe Garment District in New York
City.
It has gone through manyiterations throughout the

(00:42):
decades, throughout the eras, sowe're just going to dive right
into it.
I recommend getting like asnack, getting cozy.
If you're driving, go ahead andlock in to the road.
A lot of road work going onright now.
I need you to be focused andwhile you're focused, I'm going
to talk about the first era ofthe district, the Tenderloin era

(01:03):
.
This is pre-garment district.
It's kind of like evolution wegot to go back all the way
before we get to what we want.
Okay, do y'all believe inevolution?
I feel like it's.
Why am I talking aboutevolution?
I believe in evolution, Ibelieve in science, but this is
not a non-evolutionbeliever-friendly space.

(01:26):
I do apologize, but also Idon't think I apologize in the
slightest.
Okay, let's talk about theTenderloin era.
The area, now known as theGarment District, has been a
center for fashion and designsince the late 1940s, and at its
peak it housed the country'shighest concentration of
designers and manufacturers.
However, before it became afashion powerhouse, the Garment

(01:50):
District Alliance report on theGarment District's history tells
a very different story.
This area was once called theTenderloin, also known as the
Devil's Arcade.
Essentially, it was a place forsqualor and debauchery.
Truly just like the garmentdistrict would be later known to

(02:10):
be a home for designers.
The tenderloin area wasinfamous for housing the
nation's largest concentrationof prostitution and as late as
1919 it was accounted for thehighest number of prostitution
arrests in the New York Cityarea.
This area was also a hub forbootlegging, betting and

(02:30):
racketeering.
So bad news bears all around,but the rise of the Tenderloin
as a center for sex trade wasfueled by a booming period of
theater construction between thelate 1970s and sorry the 1870s
and the 1900s, which in turn ledto an influx of hotels, casinos

(02:50):
and nightlife being in theirsurrounding area.
And as the nightlife became toomuch for the wealthy landowners
in the vicinity, theirproperties became available for
rent and this created anopportunity for quote-unquote
higher-end ladies of the nightwho were willing and able to pay

(03:12):
the increasing rents in theemptying spaces to fill them to
live there.
So the Tenderloin earned itsname from police captain
Alexander Williams.
He famously remarked whenassigned to the area I like it
just fine, I've had a chuck fora long time and now I intend to
eat tenderloin A reference tothe lucrative opportunities for

(03:36):
grafting in the area.
Williams himself was known byseveral monikers within the
district, including the clubberand the czar of the Tenderloin.
At the turn of the 20th century,many believed the district was
beyond redemption.
No one thought the flourishingsex trade could be stopped, from
police captains to localpriests.

(03:57):
No one could have anticipatedthat the future garment district
would provide a surprisingsolution to the Tenderloin's
woes.
The area of the Tenderloinrapidly transformed into the
Garment District, as largenumbers of immigrant workers
were effectively quarantined inthe area.
This was caused by wealthyelites not loving, not vibing

(04:23):
with the fact that these garmentworkers were riddling the
streets of Fifth Avenue, whichis where the garment district's
second location was.
So they pushed him out of theFifth Avenue area and said go
over here, I don't want to seeyou.
But speaking on immigrant labor, let's talk about the birth of
the Garment District and saidimmigrant labor.

(04:46):
The Garment District, a clusterof blocks in Midtown Manhattan,
has been the heart of New YorkCity's fashion industry.
Today it primarily isrecognized between 6th Ave and
9th Ave, between 31st sorry 34thand 42nd Street.
The creation and evolution ofthe garment district represents

(05:07):
a pivotal moment in Americanurban planning and politics,
shaping New York City's currentlandscape.
Its story isn't just aboutestablishing a home for American
fashion.
It's also a powerful narrativeof workers and immigrants
fighting for their place in acity that often seemed quite
unwelcoming.
At its core, the garmentdistrict was established by
workers and immigrants fightingfor their place in a city that
often seemed quite unwelcomingAt its core, the garment
district was established byworkers and developers, many of

(05:30):
them immigrant Americans carvingout a life in the city To
survive and thrive.
They formed unions,establishing a unique urban
culture.
Before settling in Midtown, thegarment district's roots were
firmly planted in the Lower EastSide, where many immigrant
workers lived and operatedbusinesses out of residential

(05:51):
tenement housing.
However, labor reform put anend to this living and working
arrangement, promptingmanufacturers to leave the Lower
East Side for commercial lotsalong Fifth Avenue.
Eventually, these manufacturerswere relocated again, this time
to what is now the garmentdistrict.
Manufacturers played a crucial,though often unrecognized, role

(06:15):
in the entrepreneurial history,significantly influencing New
York City's urban development,as well as immigrants and
women's history.
The garment industry quicklybecame a haven for immigrant
workers, many of whom werewilling to accept less than
satisfactory wages.
By 1910, approximately 46% ofNew York City's industrial labor

(06:40):
force was employed within thegarment district and industry.
The industry experienced anexplosive boom post-Civil War,
fueled by newly arrivedimmigrants and their
oh-so-valuable skills.
What began as home-basedbusinesses soon blossomed into
small enterprises.

(07:01):
During the Civil War itself,the government turned to New
York City's manufacturers formass-produced uniforms, setting
a precedent for large-scaleproduction.
And, if you remember from myCharles Tiffany episode, tiffany
Co also helped during the CivilWar, providing armor, I believe
, and bullets.
Between 1828 and 1858, newYork's garment industry emerged

(07:27):
as one of the nation's largestsites for textile manufacturing
and storage, thanks in part tothe invention of the sewing
machine.
Its labor force was almostexclusively immigrants, more
specifically Eastern EuropeanJewish immigrants.
For context, jewish people in19th century Eastern Europe were

(07:47):
often restricted from owningland, compelling them to live in
cities and develop industrialskills like manufacturing and
textile production.
Between 1899 and 1910, jewishpeople comprised the highest
percentage of skilled workersarriving in the United States,
at 67%.
The garment industry employednearly half of all Jewish males

(08:12):
and almost two-thirds of allJewish wage owners in New York
City were concentrated ingarment making.
At its peak, nearly a third ofNew York City's entire adult
workforce was involved in thegarment trade.
As manufacturing laws evolved,the use of residential buildings
for family-run businesses wereeliminated, forcing
manufacturers into commerciallofts.

(08:34):
This coincided with theready-to-wear boom.
Ready-made clothing was arelatively new concept and the
soaring demand provided aperfect excuse for manufacturers
to relocate to these commercialspaces, often lining Fifth
Avenue.
Most ready-to-wear garmentswere copies of Parisian couture,
with American designers largelyremaining anonymous, while

(08:58):
World War II later showcasedAmerican designers' successful
ability to design andmass-produce stylish clothing.
Decades after the war, much ofthe production began to move
south, west and eventuallyoverseas.
For example, in 1906, b Altmanopened its flagship store along
Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.

(09:19):
However, the presence ofworkers was deemed unsightly by
the elite of Fifth Avenue and apublic campaign urged merchants
and manufacturers to move westto a less expensive tenderloin
district, as we mentioned,further accelerating this shift.
In 1918, the BRT subway linesbegan services on Broadway and

(09:42):
the IRT expanded services down7th Avenue.
These subway lines not onlybrought workers from residents
in Brooklyn and the Bronx intoMidtown, but also offered
convenient public transit formanufacturers and directly
connected out-of-town buyers tothe.

(10:03):
The construction of the newgarment lofts and showrooms
multiplied after 1920, between1920 and 1928.
During this time 120 high-risemanufacturing and showroom
buildings were put up just northof 35th Street.
This created a distinct fashionecosystem.

(10:25):
Side streets became crowdedwith trucks delivering materials
and loading finished garments,frequently blocking traffic.
And after 1925, the garmentdistrict continued to push
westward.
By the 1920s it was home tohalf of the city's garment
plants.
Many manufacturers also becamereal estate developers, further

(10:47):
shaping the district.
And by 1931, the garmentdistrict had the largest
concentration of clothingmanufacturers in the world.
But unfortunately, by the 1980s, increased illegal immigration,
stiff competition and laxenforcement of labor standards

(11:08):
led to a resurgence of sweatshops.
However, by the mid-1980s muchof the manufacturing had left
the garment district entirely,relocating to Lower Manhattan,
ie the Lower East Side andChinatown.
Recognizing its historicalsignificance, architectural
historians have petitioned tolist the garment district on the

(11:30):
National Register of HistoricPlaces.
The garment district has alwaysbeen home to important design
houses, but in the early 20thcentury the divide between
design and production was lesspronounced.
Big-name design houses likePauline Trigere and Norman
Norrell were located just aroundthe corner from small

(11:51):
manufacturers where labels wereimprinted and buttons were made.
Although major labels likeCalvin Klein and Donna Caron
still operated out of thegarment district, the area's
output has significantlydeclined over the last several
decades, largely due to the samefactors that fueled the initial
growth technology and globaltrade.

(12:13):
It became increasinglycost-effective to produce
materials abroad.
Handcrafted garments made byindividual seamstress and
tailors were replaced by massproduction design from automated
assembly lines.
So first the labor-intensive,high-skilled jobs like sewing

(12:34):
and button making disappeared,which was followed by associated
enterprises, including fabricwholesalers.
But by the 1980s only a shellof the fashion production
industry remained in the actualgarment district.
There was an attempt to addressthis imbalance and preserve the
history of the garment district, supported by the Leon Levy

(12:56):
Foundation, and it was startedin 2006.
In 2007, the foundationpartnered with the Graduate
Center CNC to conduct academicsymposiums examining the history
of the garment manufacturers inNew York City.
So fast fashion and the rise offast fashion kind of killed the

(13:18):
industry.
To be completely transparent.
That was kind of a quickeroverview of the industry.
Now I'd like to dig deeper intovarying segments of the
industry.
First let's pop back over intothe Lower East Side to talk
about the Triangle ShirtwaistFire.
A garment trade andmanufacturing of the late 19th

(13:38):
century were initiallyconcentrated in New York's Lower
East Side, a neighborhoodnotoriously characterized by its
poverty and overcrowding.
Here, hundreds of thousands ofJewish immigrants settled in the
dumbbell apartments.
They were small, poorly lit andquite poorly ventilated homes,
often without private toilets,which, as a modern woman, I

(14:03):
cannot imagine.
I truly cannot imagine that theliving standards were so
egregious that, driven byconcern for public health and
safety, legislation was enactedto halt the construction of
these tenement homes.
Factory InvestigatingCommission Report of 1911 went
further, recommending thecomplete abolition of tenement

(14:24):
work.
These health concerns ushered anew phase for the garment
industry the emergence of loftfactories.
These new facilities weredesigned to provide essential
light and air amenities thattenement housing could not offer
.
However, these seeminglyimproved working conditions
introduced new methods of workerexploitation.

(14:45):
Employers began monitoringworkers to prevent idling,
covering clocks to obscure thetime and notoriously locking
exits to prevent earlydepartures.
The latter practice tragicallyled to the infamous Triangle
Shirtwaist Fire.
On March 25, 1911, a fireerupted at the Triangle
Shirtwaist factory.
On March 25, 1911, a fireerupted at the Triangle

(15:06):
Shirtwaist Factory, claiming thelives of 146 workers, primarily
young women aged 13 to 23.
The factory occupied the topthree floors of a loft building
near Washington Square Parkemploying approximately 600
people.
At around 5 pm, a fire startedon the cutting table on the 8th

(15:27):
floor.
The building, with its modernwooden-framed interior, quickly
engulfed in flames.
Employees frantically tried toextinguish the fire, but the
stairwell hose had no waterpressure, rendering it
completely useless.
Other escape options were alsoperilous.
Other escape options were alsoperilous.

(15:51):
Some attempted to climb downthe elevator shaft, leading to a
frantic piling of people justtrying to get out, while others
decided to jump from windows totheir inevitable death.
The overwhelming loss of 146lives that day strained
emergency services.
Merchants in the surroundingarea with their push carts and
wagons offered assistance.
The overwhelming loss of 146lives that day strained
emergency services Merchants inthe surrounding area with their
pushcarts and wagons offeredassistance, loading bodies to

(16:14):
transport them to makeshiftmorgues and nearby shops.
Beyond the direct horrors of thefire, daily garment loft
working conditions were far, farfrom ideal.
Daily garment loft.
Working conditions were far farfrom ideal.
Employers frequently promisedwages that they never delivered
on, even charged workers for theelectricity used at their

(16:34):
working stations.
In addition to the specificconditions, women workers also
faced sexual harassment in theworkplace just rampantly.
These unbearable conditionscatalyze the formation of the
first successful garment union,the International Ladies Garment
Workers Union, ilgwu.

(16:57):
Both are mouthful.
I think I'm going to go backand forth on what I call it.
Maybe I'll call it the ILGWU,maybe I'll call it the
International Ladies GarmentWorkers Union.
I am unsure.
Both are a mouthful.
Notably, female workers at theTriangle factory have faced

(17:17):
harassment and even being firedfor attempting to unionize prior
to the fire factory.
This discrimination fueled thestrike quote uprising of the
20,000 in 1909, marking the truebeginning of the modern garment
labor movement.
The Triangle Factory fire becamea pivotal event in the
industry's reform, directlyleading to the passage of new

(17:40):
laws aimed at improving workingconditions and preventing such
disasters from ever happeningagain.
Okay, so we talked about theTriangle Shirtwaist Fire, let's
talk about the move to Fifth Aveand the zoning that came along
with it.
So, after a downturn followingthe Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
Fire, the apparel industry saw arevitalization around 1915,

(18:06):
which was largely aided by theintroduction of those loft
workspaces.
However, the local industrysoon faced significant obstacles
with.
The proliferation of affordablelofts meant a dramatic increase
in garment workers.
Much to the chagrin of FifthAvenue residents, who considered

(18:26):
their streets of New York themost exclusive and expensive
neighborhood, the presence ofthese unsightly factory workers
became intolerable to them.
Between 1900 and 1910, thegarment worker population on
Fifth Avenue nearly doubled.
This was fueled by the low costof loft construction for

(18:47):
developers and the industry'spreference for locations near
their retail shops.
The influx of workers led totens of thousands of people
crowding Fifth Avenue streets, asite that property and business
owners viewed as an immigranthorde.
Robert Greer Cook, the founderand president of the Fifth

(19:07):
Avenue Association, spearheadedefforts to oust the garment
trade.
Cook's underlying motivationwas clear he aimed to transform
Fifth Avenue into a high-endshopping destination comparable
to London's Bond Street orParis' Loup de Pays, a vision
that he believed the garmentindustry jeopardized.

(19:28):
The FAA, fifth AvenueAssociation, actively campaigned
to force garment workers out.
They employed boycotts andpressured large financial
institutions to refuse loans fornew loft constructions in the
area.
Throughout 1915 and 1916, theFAA championed what they called

(19:49):
the Save New York campaign,successfully pushing for zoning
laws that prohibited garmentlofts on Fifth Avenue.
These efforts culminated onJuly 25, 1916, with the passage
of the zoning law, a move thatthe New York Times hailed as the
most important step in thedevelopment of New York City

(20:09):
since the subway.
Within just three months, anastonishing 95% of the city's
garment manufacturers on FifthAve had relocated.
The FAA, effectively segregatedthe area, designated a distinct
district for the garmentindustry, thus giving birth to
the garment district that weknow today.

(20:31):
Decades later, strict zoninglaws notably those put into
effect in 1987, havesignificantly contributed to New
York's losing 95% ofmanufacturing labor force since
the 50s.
A 2011 report from the New YorkCity Economic Development
Corporation, the NYCEDC, furtherindicated that fashion

(20:53):
manufacturing declined by anadditional 61% since 2001.
The district had been steadilylosing opportunities, with the
Associated Press estimating in2018 that only approximately
5,000 garment workers remainedin the city.
A bulk of the jobs that oncefueled New York's streets had
moved to cheaper labor marketsin other boroughs or to other

(21:16):
states like California or Texas,and increasingly so overseas.
With less demand formanufacturing space in the
district, many vacant propertieshave been converted into office
spaces.
In 2017, new York City MayorBill de Blasio's office revealed
plans to rezone and revive theGarment District.

(21:36):
Concurrently, the city alsoplanned to develop a Made in New
York Campus in Brooklyn SunsetPark District.
This initiative aimed to createa broader fashion center
encompassing both Industry Cityand the new Brooklyn campus.
A month after these plans wereannounced, the NYC EDC offered

(21:57):
financial incentives tobusinesses willing to relocate
from Manhattan to Brooklyn,effectively trying to completely
tear down the OG garmentdistrict in Midtown.
However, the notion that thegarment district was being asked
to move sparked significantpublic outcry.

(22:18):
In the summer of 2017, theGarment Center's steering
committee was formed bythen-Manhattan Borough President
, gail A Brewer Councilmember,corey Johnson and Deputy Mayor
for Housing and EconomicDevelopment, alicia Glenn.
This committee collaboratedwith the NYC EDC, fashion
industry stakeholders, costumeand theater industry workers and

(22:41):
the Garment District Allianceto advocate for Manhattan's
remaining true fashion center.
As Julianne Hrskowski, vicepresident in the development
department at NYC EDC, explained, people had it in their heads
that the garment district wasbeing asked to move.
Gail Brewer emphaticallyrefused to support a plan that

(23:04):
directly threatened the core ofthe garment district, with
Barbara Blair, president of theGarment District Alliance,
stating she didn't want allthese jobs being encouraged to
leave for Brooklyn.
Due to this strung-up position,the Brooklyn relocation agenda
was quietly scrapped.
Currently, zoning laws in theGarment District require

(23:26):
property owners to preserve700,000 square feet of historic
manufacturing space.
Building on this, a new planlaunched in June 2018 offers
real estate tax abatements as anincentive to preserve even more
manufacturing space, providing$1 per square foot reduction.
In exchange, landlords mustoffer longer leases a minimum of

(23:51):
15 years and capped rents $35per square foot as a cap.
In addition to these new taxincentives, the city committed
$20 million in funding to helpbusiness owners acquire space.
These efforts appear to beyielding results.
In the past five years, morethan 1 million square feet of

(24:12):
space has been leased tomanufacturers in the district.
Okay, now that we have a truegarment district, let's talk
about I have two more deep dives, if you don't mind.
I have two more deep divesbefore we kind of wrap it up.
So let's first talk about WorldWar II and the rise of New York
City fashion.
As World War II raged and Parisfell under the German

(24:35):
occupation, new York City seizeda pivotal opportunity to emerge
as the world capital forfashion.
Recognizing this moment, mayorLaGuardia yes, the namesake for
LaGuardia Airport moveddecisively to capitalize on the
city's garment industry.
He spearheaded the formation ofthe New York Dress Institute,

(24:56):
an initiative designed toaggressively promote New York as
a premier global fashion designhub.
The vision was ambitious toelevate New York City's fashion
stature to rival that of Paris.
A distinctive New York creationlabel was even conceived,
intended to be sewn on thegarments made in the district as

(25:18):
a coveted symbol of prestige.
Following the establishment ofthe Dress Institute, the city
further cemented its commitmentto fashion education.
In 1944, the Fashion Instituteof Technology and Design now
simply the Fashion Institute ofTechnology, technology and
Design, now simply the FashionInstitute of Technology, or FIT,

(25:39):
was founded as a two-yearinstitution.
This was sponsored by EducationFoundation for the Apparel
Industry of New York.
Today, fit remains integral tothe garment district, with its
prominent campus located along7th Avenue and West 27th Street.
The institution offers a broadcurriculum that encourages
mastery of the fashion industry,encompassing everything from

(26:00):
design and management tomarketing.
Despite these concerted effortsby Mayor LaGuardia and his team
to position New York as afashion mecca, the district
still experienced a downturn inemployment during and after
World War II.
This decline was largelyattributed to the devastating
low wages, with the rise ofready-to-wear and mass-marketed

(26:24):
clothing at increasingly lowerprices, regulating and enforcing
fair wage standards for workersbecame an insurmountable
challenge.
The dress industry, along withcoats, suits and the skirt
sector, were particularly hithard by these economic shifts,
and they were because we saw arise in sportswear and

(26:48):
athleisure.
If you watched my episode onathleisure, you would be a
little familiar with this nextpart.
Between 1947 and 1956, thegarment district and New York
City's fashion industry as awhole faced significant losses.
In stark contrast, the garmentmanufacturing in numerous other

(27:09):
cities across the US experiencedalmost an overnight boom.
Counties just outside of NewYork City gained nearly 11,000
jobs, and states likePennsylvania and Texas, along
with the American South morebroadly, rapidly grew in
importance within the industry.
The primary driver behind thedecline in demand for New York's

(27:32):
garment production was thewidespread popularization of
sportswear in the 1950s.
Sportswear introduced theconcept of modular options, as
garments were sold as separates,allowing consumers to mix and
match according to theirpersonal style.
Coincidentally, the rise insportswear aligned with a

(27:52):
growing trend toward a morecasual lifestyle as Americans
increasingly moved from majorcities into the suburbs.
This demographic shiftexacerbated the demand for
cheaper labor.
The trend toward more casualclothing coincided with
political victories for theInternational Ladies' Garment
Worker Union, particularly intheir success in controlling

(28:16):
wage scales.
Manufacturers believe thatsportswear.
Since it did not require highlyskilled tailors, they chose to
pay unskilled workers at lowerunskilled rates.
This then led to theproliferation of large
production sites in regions likePennsylvania and New Jersey,

(28:37):
directly contributing to thegarment district's decline.
Competition for the garmentdistrict continues to intensify
as Pennsylvania, texas, evenoverseas countries began to gain
relevance due to their lowerlabor costs.
By the 1980s, imports accountedfor nearly half of all clothing

(28:57):
sold in the United States.
Many garment district businessowners struggled to stay afloat
and to keep the pace, forcingthem to merge with other firms
and or drastically cut costs tosurvive.
Simultaneously, securing cheaplabor within New york city
itself became increasinglydifficult.

(29:18):
Long had the garment districtrelied on immigrant workers,
specifically jewish and italianimmigrants, but they had largely
as exited the trade and newimmigrant workers were not
entering the industry in asustainable number to provide
necessary and expensive labor,ie the garment district could no
longer profit off exploitationof labor.
Um, but that's not what we weretalking about.

(29:41):
The garment district, once acentral employment source for
newly arrived immigrants, waslosing its traditional workforce
.
This trend is evident inemployment figures.
The number of people employedin fashion-related jobs in New
York City dropped approximatelyfrom 180,000 in 2014 to 130,000

(30:03):
in 2024.
Similarly, the number of peoplereceiving fashion-related
degrees decreased by almostone-third, from 3,800 in 2016 to
2,600 in 2022.
Recommendations for New YorkCity.
According to a study by thePartnership for New York City,
the city's influence as acapital fashion might be

(30:24):
slipping.
The study offers several keyrecommendations to re-establish
New York's dominance in thefashion space.
One of the firstrecommendations is to form a
leadership coalition Create acoalition of prominent fashion
leaders tasked with developing acomprehensive plan to restore
the industry's prominence.
This coalition would spearheadthe establishment of fashion

(30:47):
accelerators, essentiallybusiness incubators providing
mentorships and resources tohelp young designers expand
their brand in business.
The second recommendation wasdevelop a designer campus to
expand on the mentorshipinitiative by creating a
dedicated designer campus thatthis would provide collaborative

(31:08):
spaces for young creators,which is run by experienced
professionals, which is run byexperienced professionals.
Recommendation number threewould be sponsored curated
storefronts To address theretail gap within the garment
district sponsored curatedstorefronts featuring local
designers to showcase their workand create a vibrant new retail

(31:28):
experience.
And the last recommendation ispossibly one of the biggest
impacts that they could haveReduce fashion week costs.
Perhaps most significantly, theprohibitive cost of
participating in New York City'sfashion weeks deters new
blossoming designers.
Brands like Oscar de la Rentahad their first major big break

(31:50):
at fashion week and the currentparticipant cost is ranging from
$200,000 to nearly $1 million,depending on the customizations.
It's simply not feasible foremerging talent.
The study recommendssignificantly reducing this cost
, ideally to approximately$100,000.
It was also recommended thatperhaps a portion of the cost be

(32:13):
subsidized for furtheraccessibility.
Okay, I have one more deep divefor you.
It's about organized crime inthe Garment District.
So while the Garment Districtsoared to prominence, a less
celebrated source is said tohave orchestrated much of the
original flourishing the Gambinocrime family original
flourishing the Gambino crimefamily.

(32:34):
Their control over the industrywas extensive, deeply
intertwined with mob-controlledsweatshops and, crucially,
trucking contracts.
Much of their power stemmedfrom the consolidation of
trucking controlled through theformation of the Master Truckmen
of America.
If a new trucking company daredto enter the scene, its workers

(32:55):
would, for non-suspiciousreasons, suddenly unionize under
the ILGWU, local 102, and go onstrike.
A notable instance occurred in1969 when one of these
orchestrated strikes halted allshipments in and out of the
district, prompting asignificant increase in police

(33:16):
presence in the district.
The roots of the Gambinofamily's involvement can be
traced back to laborracketeering, where employers
would pay gangsters to organizeintimidation tactics against
strikers.
One particularly notoriousfigure, dopey Benny Fien, was
reportedly hired to protectUnited Hebrew trade workers from

(33:37):
1910 to 1914.
Fien is often considered thepioneer of institutionalized
racketeering.
He operated with chillingefficiency and even maintained a
comprehensive list of servicesoffered.
For example, raiding anddisrupting small plants cost
$150, throwing a manager orforeman down an elevator shaft

(33:59):
was $2,000, and simply breakinga thumb or an arm was $200.
Dopey Benny's reign ended in1914 with his arrest for
attempted murder.
His successor, louis LepkeBuchhalter, exerted control over
the district, particularly inits trucking operations, for
decades beginning in 1927,butchhalter's influence

(34:22):
coincided with the period ofweakening for the ILGWU, which
was facing exploitation bymanufacturers.
Historically, during times ofindustry instability instability
criminal organizations exploitvulnerable business owners by
offering high interest loans.
Loans for firms struggling toperform inevitably defaulted on

(34:43):
and furthering entrenching theracketeering powers.
The grip on the organized crimewas nearly broken after a
significant sting operation bythe Manhattan District
Attorney's Office which exposedthe Gambino family and their
quote-unquote henchmen.
However, this did not resolvethe Garment District's deeper
troubles, even after thefamily's diminished reign, the

(35:06):
district saw manufacturing andapparel cut in half between 1957
and 1977, a decline that sadlycontinued into the 90s, into the
80s.
But we already touched on thedecline reasoning, that of labor
costs, that of ever-changingdevelopment in the United States

(35:29):
, globalization as a whole.
The Garmer District Alliancecurrently serves as a vital
guardian of New York's historicfashion district.
Its core mission is tocollaborate with local buildings
and business owners, aiming toenhance the quality of life and
bolster the economic vitality ofthe neighborhood.
Established in 1993, thisorganization was formerly known

(35:53):
as the Fashion Center BIDBusiness Improvement District.
Among its notable impacts wassuccessfully advocating for the
city-offered tax incentivesdesigned to revitalize the
garment district as a fashionjob hub.
However, these efforts yieldedlimited results, as many fashion
jobs ultimately relocated toareas like Brooklyn's Navy Yard.

(36:18):
The COVID-19 pandemic alsodelivered a significant blow to
the Garment District.
Barbara Blair, president of theGarment District Alliance,
noticed the district'strajectory right before the
pandemic hit, right before COVID, she says the Garment District
was on an upswing.
People were interested inexploring the neighborhood and

(36:39):
ground floor retail wasimproving.
The pandemic abruptly haltedorders, severely disrupting the
global supply chain, forcingstores to close, and left
manufacturers with mountains ofunsold inventory.
Beyond these manufacturing sideeffects, in-person work seized
almost entirely and consumerdesign's preferences shifted

(37:02):
seemingly overnight, as peoplespent more time in their homes.
In a remarkable pivot, manyshops within the garment
district swiftly transitioned toproduce personal protective
equipment PPE for hospitals.
This crucial adaptation helpedto keep numerous businesses
afloat during the time of anunprecedented crisis.

(37:24):
Urban planner Clayton Gilletteinvestigated the broader effects
of COVID-19 on the dense urbanareas.
Specifically examining the riseand fall of the Garment
District.
He concluded that the surge inremote work proved detrimental
to the urban landscape.
While New York City had been anundeniable magnet for the
industry from the late 19thcentury, throughout the 20th

(37:47):
century the pandemic delivered aprofound shock.
Demand increasingly gravitatedtoward lower cost, less
fashion-oriented clothing,prompting leading brands to seek
manufacturing elsewhere.
This trend accelerated theoverall decline of the
once-moving district, a declinethat, ironically, began not with

(38:09):
the city's help, but often inspite of the zoning policies.
The garment district has beenthe heart of New York City's,
dare I say, identity since thelate 19th, early 20th century.
It has been paramount to NewYork's building a foundation

(38:30):
making a name for itself.
Without the garment district, Idon't know that Fashion Week
would be a thing in New Yorkdistrict.
I don't know that fashion weekwould be a thing in New York.
The garment district has seenmany evolutions, it's seen many
eras, it's seen many phases ofemployment, of bustling, booming
business, but at present it ison the decline.

(38:51):
So while I don't live in NewYork, I can appreciate New York
from Missouri.
That's the Garment District.
That is my deep dive on theGarment District.
I do have many more notes thatjust went on random side
tangents.
So if you want to know, I thinkI just skipped over yeah, I
just skipped over growth andarchitectural development and

(39:16):
yeah, that's all I skipped over,mainly because it was very
wordy, really just yada yada.
So I hope you enjoyed this wasreally fun.
For me it was a big deep dive.
Let me just tell you it was oneof my biggest deep dives.
But the garment industry is allover New York and I do really,
really, really really want to dolike a fashion tour of New York

(39:37):
.
I've only been to New York once, when I got married, but it was
really overwhelming just takingin the city as a whole.
So now that I know what toexpect, I would love to see the
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.
First of all, there's amemorial right outside of
Washington Square Park.
My husband and I walked onWaverly Place, which is one

(39:58):
street over from the TriangleShirtwaist Memorial.
I was right there and I didn'teven know it, so I must go back.
Somebody send me back, please.
But yeah, thank you so much forjoining me today to learn about
the Garment District.
I hope you did enjoy.
I'll leave some of my linksdown below so that you can

(40:20):
further expand your knowledge ifyou so choose, as well as my
actual social media links ifyou'd like to follow me.
But yeah, until next time Iwill see you everywhere and
nowhere all at once.
Next time's topic is thefashion industry as a whole.
It's also going to be anotherdeep dive, but, fair warning, my

(40:44):
only resources because it wasgetting a little overwhelming my
only resources is my fashionencyclopedia that I will cite a
billion times next episode.
So just trigger warning.
Thank you again for the 15thtime and I will see you next
time.
Bye.