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For Now
By admins | May 23, 2010
We have some sad news to share, which we have been putting off for some time now. Unfortunately, it our dear blog, 39th & Broadway has come to an end. The end has been in sight for a while now as myself, the founder and main writer, has just moved out of NYC (gasp). Yes, it is shockingly true, and while the move (for personal reasons) is only guaranteed for 6 months, that is still to long for me to feel authentically able to continue this very local NYC blog. Also, due my new location and career changes my schedule will likely not permit the attention to blogging that 39th & Broadway truly deserves. It is incredibly hard to leave the Garment Center and the difficulty of continuing to work in fashion design outside the area is slowly becoming a reality. But leaving NYC as a home is even more heartbreaking.
What started as a small personal blog to be an outlet for a couple Garment Center designers, morphed into a much larger website with a more diverse platform then we could have ever anticipated. This blog has proven to be more of a challenge and yet far more rewarding, than ever imagined. Of course much of this is due to you, our dear readers, who have provided endless support and feedback along the way. Without you this blog likely would have ended long ago. So thank you for being there day in and day out. Also, the fashion blogger community that has embraced us and inspired us, we are forever indebted to all of you. Finally, we would like to thank all the many contributors who over the last few years have shared with all of us their thoughts and feelings, advice and experience, on living and working in the New York fashion industry. It is all your insider information and personal stories, that made this fashion blog unique, so thank you all.
So for now, this is goodbye but who knows what the future holds. Perhaps we will be back, or perhaps a new blog with a new perspective will develop. For now we will just wait and see how it all plays out. Over the next week or two we will put up a post/page linking many of our top articles and useful industry pieces in a way easy for our readers to navigate. Since much of what we have written is timeless, and since many of you may not have read our older pieces, we will try to get up some sort of comprehensive resource page. We also hope that you will continue to support the efforts to save the Garment Center and will place links and resources for that as well on the top of our site.
We hope you have all enjoyed 39th and Broadway as much as we did, and perhaps learned a little something along the way. Again our deepest thanks to all of you, and a reluctant, goodbye…..For now.
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Links à la Mode
By admins | May 16, 2010
This week we have loads of great links from our fellow fashion bloggers for your reading pleasure. So grab a cup of joe and settle in for some fabulous fashion scoop. Please enjoy the latest and greatest fashion blog posts from around the web, better known as Links a la Mode!
- 365 Fashion Rehab – Notes from the closet: Day 357! Building better future buying habits by way of a major wardrobe investigation.
- 39th and Broadway – The Fall of Designer Denim.
- Bachman’s Sparrow – Saturday Advice column: develop your personal style into something amazing by learning how to take risks and not dress for others.
- Chrissy Styles – I create an outfit inspired by a painting. This time one by Luc Tuymans:
- D e f i n i n g B e a u t y – Pass it On – What do you do with clothes you don’t want?
- DailyDivaDish – True Cost of Disposable Fashion: You may be paying more than you realize.
- Debutante Clothing – Are you Lying? Why Do You Wear Vintage? A response to 5 Lies Women Tell About Vintage Dresses.
- Emerald Dandy – Meggings: Meant to be?
- Evoluer – 7 girls : 7 bicycles : 7 unique & adorable outfits
- Independent Fashion Bloggers – Finance & the Fashion Blogger: Ignore-ance
- Journey to Fashion – From Undergrad Slob to Graduate Fashionista? An introduction to my quest for fashion.
- Missemmamm – How the internet has changed & woman are now more empowered.
- Oranges and Apples – On Beauty.
- Retro Chick – Are you ethically fashionable or fashionably ethical?
- Return to Sender – What do you do when your old insecurities rear their ugly heads?
- Shrimp Salad Circus – Ten things to smile about right this very second.
- Style on a String – The Insatiability for Logos, not Luxury.
- The Coveted – The Coveted launches a new blog dedicated to real women wearing denim.
- The Laundry Narrative – Fighting the urge to justify criticism of fashion blogging as superficial, anti-feminist, and materialistic.
- The Sunday Best – The Best Time of the Year for Menswear
- The Thrifty Poet – How to Feel Beautiful.
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Fashion’s Rent
By admins | May 14, 2010
Starting up a fashion label can be beyond pricey and the financial challenges of starting your own line are often what prevents many fashion professionals from going that route. Costs include labor, factories, materials, advertising, equipment, and much more all of which can prove to be great obstacles for the new designer. But an up-and-coming designer in NYC has a uniquely expensive hurdle. And frankly whatever field you’re in, if you’re a New Yorker you know what we are talking about (hell, there was even a musical named after it) RENT.
The cost of real estate in the city is so ridiculously high that it’s nearly impossible for anybody without major financial backing to start a business. Unlike other areas of the US where a designer can start up a business in a spare bedroom or basement, that is not feasible in a 300 sqft studio in Manhattan or while sharing a tiny Brooklyn walk-up with three roommates. Some innovative designers do make it happen but then face the rent challenge when they want to grow their business and find themselves needing larger office or manufacturing space.
This dilemma is where the Garment Center comes into play and one of the reasons it is so important to support efforts to save the Garment Center. Unlike other areas of Manhattan where office space goes for an astounding $65 a sqft plus, the Garment Center thanks to government and zoning protection, is able to keep rates below market for fashion manufacturing businesses. This is a huge benefit for many local NYC designers. For example, women’s brand THL Inc./ Zelda Brand just got a great deal down the block on 39th street for a 6000 sqft space and the rent is only $35 a sqft. Also in that building are tenants like Tracy Reese, Vivienne Tam, and Carlos Falchi.
However, this same scenario is exactly why the Garment Center is still struggling and why many young designers are fleeing to the Boroughs and even New Jersey! While $35 a sqft is far less then $65 a sqft (the normal Manhattan commercial pricing) the discounted rent is still $210,000 in rent! Many young designers not only do not have that kind of rent budget, but often have even less capital to cover their entire line. Recently we found this listing on Craigslist for a smaller design office or factory space with a more reasonable rent of 140k a year. But as good as these deals may sound to a NYC real estate guru, to a start-up fashion designer rent can seem like a insurmountable obstacle in NYC. When the same amount of office space can be found in Atlanta for $6 a sqft, or Portland for $8 a sqft, or even LA for $10 a sqft, what is keeping designers local?
Well, the obvious answer is NYC is the heart of the fashion industry and the Garment Center is its soul. From fashion schools to publishers, fabric suppliers to sample rooms we have it all. Unfortunately, having it all is just not as affordable as it should be. We have written extensively on why New York is the place to be for fashion, there really is no other place in the US so fundamentally geared to support the industry and for many of us no other city as inspirational. It is our challenge to make working and thriving in NYC affordable for future American designers.
Please help support the Garment Center and all the efforts to save it for the fashion industry by visiting, the Save The Garment Center Organization and joining up. Also, for more info on real estate in the Garment Center and all the latest deals and offerings click here.
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Denim Disaster?
By admins | May 10, 2010
Has the era of designer denim come to an end? Did the recession put the final nail in the coffin for the already struggling denim industry? For many, the answer is clearly yes. The high point of designer denim (not counting the 80’s of course) was 2002-2007. We saw the emergence and rise in popularity of brands like James, Paige, Citizens of Humanity, Joe’s, True Religion, and many more that are still in business to day. There was also the quick rise and fall of brands like Von Dutch and Paper Denim & Cloth. Some brands floundered and fought to stay alive for far too long, like Earl Jeans who was bought out by Nautica, then VF Corporation, and now by Jordache. Others found success by selling out to big corporations and launching their own lower priced lines like, Seven Jeans or Lucky Brand. And others struggled through the rise and fall only to succumb to our tough economic times, as is the case with the recent bankruptcy filing of Rock and Republic.
Now that designer denim has lost some of its luster, and with so many brands over-saturating the market (many offering affordable versions of their own designer lines) customers are turning away. For many fashionistas paying over $200 for a pair of jeans seems a bit absurd these days. Not to mention most denim divas, who will pay any amount for a good fitting pair of jeans, already have closets full of jeans in every wash and fit a girl could want. Plus, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room, or shall we say, leggings. The rise of leggings and other knit bottoms have significantly cut into the denim business over the last few years.
But the biggest challenge to the denim market is that denim (even designer denim) has become a wardrobe staple. Most fashionistas own at least one splurge pair of high-end denim in their wardrobe and countless other affordable and moderate brands as well. Designer denim has lost its novelty; it is no longer a unique “must have” item. The phrase “Japanese Denim Mill” used to fill any denim guru’s heart with desire and now, it just, “oh another Japanese denim brand, what’s new?” Jeans will likely always stay on trend and they will certainly continue to sell, but anyone who works in denim knows the profits and order numbers have shrunken considerably since the early 2000’s. Despite the resurgence of the jean jacket and the double denim trend, sadly the denim market is just not what it was. Denim manufacturers are going out of business, denim fabric mills are closing up shop and the market is flooded with denim designers looking for work. While the average consumer may not notice a huge difference at their local retailer the impact on the business side is undeniable.
So what do you think, will designer denim make a comeback anytime soon? Will denim brands continue to go belly up? Do you have plans to buy more denim this season? Are there any denim brands that you are particularly excited about?
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Fashion’s Night Out Take 2
By admins | May 7, 2010
As many of you remember last fall Anna Wintour and the CFDA made history by launching the global fashion event, Fashion’s Night Out.
Well, this September Fashion’s Night Out is coming back bigger and better then ever. Not only will it be a borough wide shopping event at all your local retailers, but there will also be some new and exciting elements this year. One addition will be the hosting of New York’s largest fashion show ever at Lincoln Center. With over 200 top models and 1500 VIP guests, it’s the place to be this fall. Another brilliant addition to FNO will happen thanks to CBS, they are preparing a documentary and filming all the behind the scenes action. According to FNO the film will, “Look beyond the glamour to the real-life implications at stake, on the individuals working in all parts of the industry, from sales people to design staff, for whom the vibrancy of the fashion business is a question of economic survival.”
Don’t know about you, but we are beyond giddy to see how this year’s Fashion’s Night Out comes together. September cannot get here soon enough!
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Vacation
By admins | April 27, 2010
Yep, we’re on vacation! Mmmm vacation, what could be better.
While we are gone we’ve compiled a list of timeless posts and all around favorites for your enjoyment. Also don’t forget about our forum where you can share your opinions and ideas on the state of the fashion industry.
Be back soon!
Can Zoning Save the Garment Center?
The Importance of the Fashion Industry
Life as a Corporate Fashion Designer
Apparel Designer versus Technical Designer
Do I NEED to go to Fashion School?
The Modern Face of NYC Designers
Don’t Tell Me To Go On Project Runway!
Why We Hate Forever 21 & Why You Should Too
Equality for Women in the Fashion World
The Garment Center, We Make You Look Good!
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Alternative NYC Fashion Weeks
By admins | April 24, 2010
For those of you, who like us, find yourselves inexplicably drawn to the train-wreck that is the Real House Wives of New York City, you may have noticed this season’s repeated mentions of Brooklyn Fashion Week. First Alex brought the ladies together to help chose designers for the show (of course like the vapid middle-school drama queens they are, this got overshadowed by yet another rehashing of an old catfight) and explained a bit about the project. Then later in the season we got to see bits of the show (and of course more RHONYC drama, jealous much Jill?) Brooklyn Fashion Week was presented as the younger, more indie, and perhaps more low-brow cousin of NYFW (and a backdrop for the crazy-eyed Ramona to strut her stuff). This got us thinking, besides the famed New York Fashion Week in the Tents, what other fashion weeks are to be found in our city? Well, quite a few it turns out.
Brooklyn Fashion Week — As mentioned on RHONYC, this fashion week takes place after the big Manhattan shows, and focuses on Brooklyn based designers. This show is held twice- yearly and it benefits the Brooklyn Style Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping up and coming Brooklyn designers. For more info please click here.
Queens Fashion Week – Not to be out done by Brooklyn, this is also a biannual Fashion Week of events. QFW is an upscale series of events that shines a spotlight on the trendy goods and services available in Queens. As one of the most diverse communities in the nation, Queens offers a wealth of fashionable attractions and events. For more scoop please click here.
Full Figured Fashion Week – This show takes place this June and is geared towards “The State of the Curvy Community.” They will be addressing a huge segment of the population that often gets overlooked when it comes to fashion. We are eager to see how it goes! For more info click here.
Eco Fashion Week – The Eco fashion shows take place during the traditional NY Fashion Week but are in separate locations around the city. Some of the outstanding designers that participated this year are Gary Harvey, Vaute Couture, Sonkja De Elzen, Joann Berman, Keia Bounds, Popomomo, Samantha Pleet, Duex FM, Ekovaruhuset, and C. Marchuksuska. For more info on Eco Fashion week please click here.
Urban Fashion Week – This week of events has been going on for over a decade now and it has some of the boldest fashion statements in all of fashion. With a distinct flair for the urban fashionista, it is also one of the few fashion events geared as much to men as women. For all the details click here.
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