NYC visit - Walking Tour of the Garment District

Last week I was on holiday in New York City, One of my favourite cities to visit!  I had some time to myself and I really wanted to take advantage of some of the great fashion things that NYC has going on right now.  I had a long list of things to see, this website basically tells you all of the exhibitions, sample sales, tours, and other things that fashionistas need to know when visiting New York City.  Unfortunately I actually only had time for one thing.  So I chose to do a walking tour of the garment district, an area of New York City that I don't think I have ever been to, or at least didn't realize it.

I found the tour on the website above, but it was through a company called Mike's NYC Tours, and the best part was that the tour was free!  Mike is the tour guide and he's great, funny, and super knowledgeable, having worked in the garment district for 20+ years.  He offers other tours in addition to this one so worth checking out his site if you're planning to visit NYC.

The tour started at 37th and 7th Avenues, this is the centre of the Garment District, distinctively marked with a large statue of a needle and thread.  Group size was small, around 8 people, and Mike had a headset with a microphone so he was easy to hear at all times. Mike first told us some of the history of the area.  We then went into a couple of different buildings, we visited a fabric cutting factory, a jewelry maker, and Mood fabrics.  The tour lasted about 2 hours and we were definitely encouraged to tip at the end.

Some interesting facts learned on the tour

• most of the US's garment production was done in Garment District in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.  As consumers wanted cheaper clothes and rents started to increase in the area, retailers were forced to move production overseas where it remains today
• factories still exist in the Garment District, these can be spotted by looking up and seeing the smoke leaving the buildings
• buildings with a step effect, as the buildings shown below, are the original buildings that housed factories
• 39th street has 30 fabric stores, fabric production is done upstairs, and then fabric is sold at the ground level
• Mood fabrics is housed over 3 floors and not only has the largest selection of fabrics but is basically a one stop shop for any designer with trims, patterns, and even free sewing classes offered
• The jewelry factory that we visited still has moulds dated back to the 80s and produces jewelry for Tory Burch, Michael Kors, and J.Crew among many others

Photos from the walk