Life is Getting Easier for NYC Designers

Young designers in New York City can find a new home. The Garment Industry Development Corporation (GIDC) has leased a space in the midtown Garment District to showcase a group of select emerging designers they are working with.

GIDC, a non-profit organization, has been providing sourcing and business development assistance to New York City’s apparel community for over 20 years. The young designers’ showroom is a natural extension of this effort and will provide end to end support for emerging designers who produce locally.

Soaring real estate prices and unresolved zoning issues continue to cloud the future of midtown’s Garment District. Those most affected fall into 2 categories, contract manufacturers and young designers. The lack of affordable space in the District has forced contract manufacturers to move or close, and prevents young designers from gaining access to buyers during market weeks.

“ By providing and promoting a space to showcase the multitude of design talent that we are working with in New York City, we not only nurture the creative but provide needed work for the contract manufacturers that our designers are dependent on” says Andy Ward, Director of Sourcing at GIDC, who will be managing the Young Designers program.

A selection committee consisting of industry, press and design faculty participants will review candidate submissions for inclusion into the program.

Fatiah Hosein, Acting Executive Director at GIDC states, “Our goal is to empower young designers and provide a means to achieve their creative vision and independence so that eventually, they can flourish on their own thus providing an opening for the next up and coming designer.”

Is life getting easier for young designers in New York City? You bet it is!

GIDC is a non-profit organization that for the past 23 years works to strengthen and promote New York’s apparel industry, offering an array of free services, serving as the link between designers & brands and NYC’s high quality producers. GIDC is Where Design Meets Production. For more information about the young designer showroom or GIDC’s other services, visit www.gidc.org, send an email to info@gidc.org , or call 212.366.6160.