Newsworthy... TODAY

Here's an article you may wish to read on... Reviving the Garment Industry Outside of the garment District

This is particularly timely, as there will be a Facebook Live discussion today during the 4PM (Eastern) hour here, addressing the current state of this industry and district.

Check it out!

On fur, sweatshops, prison and unfair labor practices

Republishing: Original post January 29, 2013  How far have we come?

"The only things that do not change are dead things. Clothes are exceedingly vital and alive." 

-Jacques Worth, 1927

Which of these is this coat? Alive or dead?

And this leopard?

I have written many posts over the years on this very topic (see my old blog to follow the path this post will lead), trying to wrap my head around all of the complexities of treating people fairly, compensating them for their work, and consuming resources responsibly.  I know these things are important.  I know that people are passionate about these things. I know that everyone, every  single  person on the planet matters equally. I know that we need to take a good look at ourselves, how we fill our closets and bellies, and how we treat one another.

The caption of the original photo above, (from my family's collection) originally from TWA Aviation Press Pictures, reads, "NY International Airport, February 11, 1960. Glamourous Eva Gabor, who appreared on the Jack Parr Show last night, is pictured wearing a leopard coat prior to boarding a TWA Jetliner to Los Angeles where she will enjoy a brief visit."

The airport had not yet been renamed JFK, for obvious reasons... but notice the mention of the leopard coat? My, how times have changed.

Or... have they?

This coat would have been quite a status symbol in those days, but would now be a very unpopular item (to put it mildly), if worn by any celebrity. While such a coat, which once turned heads, now turns stomachs, are animal rights just the popular issue right now, due to the marketing efforts of groups like PETA? Does it matter that her coat was once an actual leopard?  Yes, it does.

This got me thinking (again).  We celebrate the person wearing the item, cooing and sighing as they float down the red carpet, as the TV correspondent breathlessly calls out, "Who are you wearing?" The name assigned to the garment is almost always a brand or a fashion icon, but what an interesting experiment it would be to try those interviews on the bustling streets of midtown Manhattan, or Boise, Idaho, or Phoenix, Arizona.  Would they know?  Would they care?  Would you? Do we?

I know there are always other fish to fry, but I want to specifically turn your attention to an article on sweatshop labor, offered by BBC News. Do we think about the human price paid when we buy $5 T-shirts? According to the article, workers in Burkina Faso would love to stop laboring for such low wages, but, unfortunately, cotton is their only cash crop.

I also noticed an article online this morning about Riker's Island inmates wanting to learn about fashion theory. This is said to be the most popular of the course offerings for the prison population's female inmates. Students also learn, as part of this course, about third-world sweatshops and fast-fashion retailers, in addition to exploring their own potential.

It seems that when we talk about making clothing, we inevitably end up talking about bigger issues as well.  Here in the US, we talk about outsourcing, and how low wages are being paid to foreign workers to keep our clothing prices low.  But we also talk about social consciousness and a more global perspective on how our decisions impact all of us.

Excerpted from a Times Style Section article on the same topic:

"Chyiome handbag designer and Project Runway alum Anna Lynett Moss teaches the class, which tackles cultural identity and design process by narrowing in on provocative style and design approaches. “People with creative training are in a unique position to envision innovative alternatives to some of our deepest social problems,” she explained to Of a Kind. The designer and humanitarian—she is developing a socially—conscious accessories line with the UN–chooses talking points that range from fashion shows to magazine spreads to educate and enlighten."

Read more: http://style.time.com/2013/01/23/rikers-islands-most-popular-class-fashion-theory/#ixzz2JNI8NIaF

Here's the kicker, on Facebook this morning, I was inspired to click on the face of a person I vaguely recognized from high school, who is connected to another friend from high school.  We weren't friends because we were in different grades and didn't hang out with the same groups of people, but I recognized her name, and noticed she had become an author.  Because we (my family) are avid readers, I clicked through the link to her book, and was just FLOORED... positively FLOORED by the "Jean's Story" section of her profile, and then downloaded the book to my Kindle immediately.   I hope you will click through to the link, but if you don't choose to, just know that she was actually going to the same high school I was every day, just after climbing out of miserable conditions, and assisting her mother in a Chinatown sweatshop. Her name is Jean Kwok, and a video of her discussing the (fiction) book can be found here.

So, I'm having one of those astounding "You mean, right here? In my lifetime?  My peers?" kinda moments.

Clothing.  Everyone gets dressed everyday.  But it symbolizes something far greater. Bigger stories can always be told surrounding the process that results in a wearable item. Heads are needed to design it, hands are needed to create it, and hearts are needed to appreciate and love it. In our Project Runway culture now, we should be more aware than ever what it takes to make our clothing.

So now, here's my bigger point... as you read this, "Who" are you wearing?  You pulled on a sweatshirt you randomly snatched up for a few bucks at a huge discount store.  Or maybe you made it yourself.  Or maybe a well known artist or designer made it. Could your clothing be made in a prison work program, a foreign work camp, a local sweatshop? Does it matter where it came from, and who made it? Yes.  Clearly it does. More than we realize.  And more than we are willing to admit.

Let's make something ourselves, shall we?  With our own hands, head, and heart.  Need to go fabric shopping?  I've got you covered.  If you want to find fun places to shop in the garment district, sharing the creative energy of a group, come along on a Speakeasy tour.

The GIDC (for designers and aspirers)

What is the GIDC? The Garment Industry Development Corporation is an organization dedicated to helping apparel designers and related businesses thrive in New York City's garment district. There is a serious, intense effort being made to coordinate the right services with the right businesses, and that is certainly worthy of a round of applause. This is their own description of their services:

The Garment Industry Development Corporation is a non profit organization established in 1984 and is funded by the State of New York. Our mission is to strengthen and support local apparel manufacturing in New York. For the past twenty five years, the Garment Industry Development Corporation has evolved into a -service organization providing sourcing referrals to local apparel contractors, a Designer Development program "Showroom New York" that provides marketing support and a showroom for emerging designers who produce locally and training and technical assistance to New York apparel manufacturers and workers. The Garment Industry Development Corporation is the link between Designers and New York's Apparel Manufacturers.

Now, why does that matter?

As the owner of a dressmaker referral service, I get a decent stream of calls from designers who want to produce small lots, and would like a single dressmaker's help to make it happen. Now, I completely understand the trepidation one might feel when trying to produce garments for the first time. I often hear that the designer would rather work with one person because it would be "less expensive" than hiring a professional small contractor. While that may be true, I often must ask... and how much less expensive is it when that one person gets sick, burns out, can't finish, or doesn't produce consistent quality when you need it? After all, this is inevitable. You may have a deadline, and a pile of fabric, with no way to meet it. And, truth be told, without the ability to make and deliver the goods on time, you don't/won't have a business.

Just food for thought, my friends.

Cool Event: City Source Supplier Showcase, Jan. 10

The 1st Annual City Source Local Supplier Showcase

Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fashion Institute of Technology's Great Hall

FIT and the Garment Industry Development Corporation are proud to host 50 locally based factories and suppliers who will showcase their work, including pleating, embroidery, sample and pattern making, printers, production, marking and grading, wovens, accessories, knits, small lots, tailoring, and quick turns. Click here to register for the event, which is open to "designers, retailers, students and fashionistas."

This sounds like a great way to experience all the fabulous resources the Garment District has to offer—meaning the ones that aren't readily apparent to those of us who tend to dwell on the street level. I have this event on my calendar. Hope to see you there!
 

Watching Project Runway with Mood Fabric's Sauma Family

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

The New York Times recently ran an online feature about the Sauma family, owners of Mood Fabrics in New York's Garment District. Read the entire article here.

"What began as a family store has become an empire with a wholesale division, a home décor wing and a Web site started last year to supply internationally. The expansion is partly helped by the show, which does not pay to film in the store in exchange for mentioning Mood on air. (Yes, designers do pay for the goods they carry out.)" —The New York Times

Lace Star is Looking for Salespeople

Lace Star, 215 West 40th Street

Lace Star is looking for salespeople who "know fashion fabrics." I got an email from the store manager saying they are having a hard time finding people who are qualified (what, you mean not everyone knows the difference between a brocade and a jacquard?). Contact Payam Hezghia, 212-840-0555, if you're interested.

Meet Nancy, Snap Installer Extraodinaire

Nancy helping a customer with fabric-covered buttons at Steinlauf & Stoller on W. 39th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

If you need snaps, grommets or eyelets installed, or buttons covered with fabric, Nancy at Steinlauf & Stoller is your go-to person. I think she gets the award for most pleasant person in NYC's Garment District. In fact, there's a sign posted near her desk by S&S management warning customers to not take advantage of her sweet disposition and let the poor woman have her lunch break.

Cost for Nancy's services range from around $1-$2 per item installed or button covered, depending on size. Make sure you clearly mark where you want your snaps or eyelets installed so Nancy can work while you browse for notions and dressmaking supplies at S&S. Most of the time Nancy can complete your job as you wait, but she does get busy and you may need to return later to pick up your garment.

If you've ever tried to install snaps or grommets on your own (a huge pain-in the-you-know-what), you know this is a small price to pay to have Nancy do it for you professionally.

"American Experience: Triangle Fire"

PBS is broadcasting "Triangle Fire," about the deadliest workplace accident ever in the United States. It occurred 100 years ago on March 25th, 1911, and claimed the lives of more than 100 garment workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory here in NYC, many of them teenage girls. Check your local listings for viewing times in your area.

A Day in the Life of a Garment District Dressmaker

Jenni Avins/Thread NY

Ari Magallanes, a dressmaker from Ecuador who has worked in the Garment District for 35 years:

"I am rushing, rushing, working on a special dress for this lady. I don’t know where she’s going to wear it, but they need it tonight. It’s Prabal Gurung’s, Spring 2011. This one is black, but the production is white. This order came to me this week and we rushed to get it together. It came Tuesday, but the cutting table was busy. I got it started yesterday, and today has to be finished. Oh my god. It’s 6:00 already. They’re going to call me at 6:30 to see if it’s ready, but it’s not going to be." —from Dispatches from the Garment District, NBC New York

Read the entire feature here.