By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Designer Nanette Lepore’s fight for fashion traveled to Washington D.C. on Friday, where she lobbied legislators — including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — to help keep domestic garment manufacturing in New York City.
Several other prominent designers, including Michael Kors and Diane von Furstenberg, have joined Lepore in the “Save the Garment Center” movement. The designers claim increasing rents are driving out the fabric and trim suppliers vital to the industry.
While Lepore was in D.C., a garment center advocacy initiative called "Made in Midtown" launched a study in support of the cause.
The study — sponsored by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in partnership with the Design Trust for Public Space — is aimed at demonstrating the importance of the garment center’s manufacturers and suppliers to the fashion industry.
“While the garment industry has been intrinsically linked to the cultural identity of the city, its inner workings have never been transparent. This is an opportunity for the public to understand and appreciate the process of how clothes are created and how they end up on our backs,” designer and CFDA Gen. Secretary Yeohlee Teng said in a statement.
“Examining the fashion industry through an urban design lens will reveal the network of people and places — trim and button stores, pattern makers, elite design ateliers — that support innovation and enable our city to retain its identity as the fashion capital of the world,” Deborah Marton, executive director of the Design Trust for Public Space said in the statement.
The study will wrap up mid-March, when it will be presented to the public and New York City officials.
