Tourism and Promotion
We offer a wide variety of programming and events to the millions who live, work or visit here...for free. Check out some of our ongoing initiatives.
WELCOME CENTER
Stop in and say hello! The Garment District Information Kiosk is a great resource for lost tourists and industry professionals alike. It's the first fully-staffed, walk-in information center to provide sourcing information and industry-related services to fashion professionals, students, hobbyists, visitors, and shoppers, and we are here to help you with whatever you need.
ART + DESIGN IN THE DISTRICT
We have been dedicated to the arts for the past decade and we love to celebrate the hundreds of artists and galleries which call the Garment District home through the following programs and events: Garment District Arts Festival Our largest and most popular Art+Design program is the Garment District Arts Festival, which takes place over several days each October and attracts thousands of visitors. The festival features hundreds of events including free outdoor concerts on the plaza at 1411 Broadway, Off-Broadway performances, gallery exhibits, avant-garde performance art, fine arts workshops, and behind-the-scenes visits to artist’s studios.
Garment District Space For Public Art
The Garment District Alliance offers artist and designers the chance to display their work on the streets of Manhattan in our window display at 215 West 38th Street. Contact us to submit your own proposal for the display.
Plaza Arts Program We are proud to maintain the pedestrian plazas on Broadway between 35th Street and 41st Street. In an effort to enliven this public space, which we consider to be the only “green” space in the neighborhood, we produce a variety of free and public arts installations and events on the plazas. This programming is also a celebration of the artists and designers who make this the creative epicenter of midtown.
FASHION WALK OF FAME
The Fashion Walk of Fame is the only landmark that celebrates the fashion designers who established New York as a world fashion capital. It honors each with a commemorative plaque installed along Seventh Avenue. The Walk serves as a tourist attraction and attractive streetscape element.
WALKING TOURS
Take a walk in the Garment District! Centrally located and packed with heritage, sights and bites, this bustling midtown neighborhood is the historic home of the American garment industry and is the fashion capital of the world!
Free Walking Tour
Lead by "garmento" Michael Kaback, our Free Garment District Walking Tour gives you a chance to learn about the history of the neighborhood and the industry that gave it its name from somewhere who experienced it themselves. The tour will stops at iconic garment/fashion industry sites, including the Fashion Walk of Fame, and may include visits to showrooms and factories, depending on scheduling and group size.
EVENTS ARCHIVE
Here are some of our favorite events of year's past. While we don't intend to continue these programs, they are a great example of the fun and excitement that we've brought to the streets of the Garment District over the past few years.
Tour de Fashion
Tour de Fashion was a week-long designer bicycle rental during fall Fashion Week 2011. Tour de Fashion was created by the Garment District Alliance in an effort to highlight New York City’s legendary Garment District as the birthplace and epicenter of American fashion. The bicycles were built in New York City and customized by 30 of NYC’s top fashion designers, including Diane von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson, Isaac Mizrahi and Juicy Couture. Visit www.tourdefashion.com for more details and photos.
Sidewalk Catwalk
Sidewalk Catwalk was a one-of-a-kind public art exhibit, featuring New York City’s top fashion designers in the heart of the Garment District. The 2010 exhibit, now officially closed, offered the artistic interpretations of a fashion industry icon – the mannequin – by 30 of New York’s leading designers and two student design teams. The exhibit showcased custom-built mannequins, displayed runway-style down Broadway from Times Square to Herald Square, each modeling a bold, one-of-a-kind manifestation of its designer’s artistic vision. Created by the Garment District Alliance with great support from our partners and sponsors, this high-profile installation showcased the vitality and creative spirit of the industry in a unique outdoor setting on the public plazas of Broadway in the heart of Manhattan. Visit www.sidewalk-catwalk.com for details and event photos.
Garment District Kite Flight
Design your own kite and catch a flight from a Manhattan rooftop! The Garment District Alliance invites you to let your imagination soar at our annual Kite Flight event.