In 2009 the Design Trust partnered with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to launch Made in Midtown, a study that will guide city policy on land use and zoning in the Garment District by creating a compelling and feasible vision for the role of creative industries in New York.

New York remains a global fashion leader, but few outside the industry understand the complex networks that establish both its competitive edge and the unique character of its physical spaces. Made in Midtown will make the Garment District’s industrial ecosystem visible and accessible to a broad public audience and will present a compelling vision for the District’s future based on an accurate assessment of the political and economic resources available to support creative industries in Midtown and throughout New York City. Project Fellows – a filmmaker, a journalist, an urban planner and an urban design team – will interview and film key stakeholders (from designers to garment workers, landlords to suppliers), weaving these stories together with accessible, engaging infographics and diagrams that illustrate how fashion industry businesses are tied to each other and to the physical spaces of the District.

The Fellows will also examine how specific elements – from storefronts displaying colorful fabrics to the ubiquitous garment delivery racks crowding the sidewalks – help produce the Garment District’s unique identity. All of this work will culminate in an interactive website – designed by the graphic design fellow – that will help guide policies for light manufacturing industries citywide

For more information http://madeinmidtown.org/