My Project

For my project this semester for the Living City Project, I wanted to pick a topic that I was both interested in and that I could also learn from. I chose to study why fashion is and has been so prominent in New York City, especially in the Garment District. From my own research and talking to partners, I learned much about the history of the industry.

 

One major part of the industry is its manufacturing history, showcasing unfair labor laws and events such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This was a factory fire that happened in the West Village in 1911. I learned that the other factor is immigration and the sheer amount of inspiration that can be drawn from the diversity of people living in New York City. From this, I created my own inspired designs.  

 

The work you see in front of you today was created under the lens of everyone’s New York. Each piece draws inspiration from a different aspect of the city that is accessible to everyone. It draws from a vision of accessibility. This work is meant to be easily interpreted and accessed for anyone. 

 

It draws inspiration from real world elements: its architecture, its public spaces, its class relationships. A representation of all of the city’s diverse perspectives put into one. This is everyone’s New York, an inspired mix which plays into the multitude of many diverse design elements.

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The Garment District in the 1970s