Fashion

In a city that prides itself on pushing the envelope of industry and commerce, fashion remains at the heart of New York City’s cultural identity. From the over 3,400 fashion companies that call the city home, to the world-renowned New York Fashion Week, coupled with the best retail market, to the role the industry played in COVID response … in NYC, fashion is forever.

Global Center of Fashion

New York City is home to one of the best and largest pools of creative talent. In NYC, you can find the best retail space within high-traffic areas, top manufacturers and ateliers, premier fashion schools, and more fashion brand headquarters and retailers than any other city in the country. With the industry employing 4.6 percent of the city's private sector workforce, fashion is a major driver of New York City's economy.

New York City is home to three of the most prominent fashion design schools in the country—Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute. In addition, specialized schools in New York City such as LIM College focus on the business aspects of the fashion industry, including marketing, merchandising, and global supply chain. Combined, these institutions educate over 20,000 students each year.

Made in NY: Fashion

NYCEDC works to bolster the fashion industry in NYC—to ensure the industry’s future at the center of the city’s commerce and culture. We achieve this through public/private collaborations that create, develop, and implement programs for New York City's fashion design, manufacturing, and educational sectors. NYCEDC's Fashion Portfolio includes:

• Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI), a longstanding partnership between NYCEDC and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) that supports local fashion manufacturing through grants, programs, and collaborations, such as:
     ◦ FMI Grant Fund: Since its inception, FMI has provided 220 innovation and relocation grants to 127 garment manufacturers totaling almost $7M. Grants were provided to purchase and upgrade technologies and machinery to growth and advance new innovations and tools in advanced manufacturing within the five boroughs.
     ◦ A Production Database was stood up as part of FMI and exists as a resource for designers and brands to find garment manufacturers in NYC. If you’re a garment manufacturer and want to be included in the website, please check out the website and contact the supply chain team at CFDA.
• Gotham Foundry, a $45M investment in a hub and spoke model program that supports the conception and growth of new material development in NYC. This consortium of academic institutions and workforce development teams will make NYC the leader in new and advanced materials.
• Made in NY: Fashion Designer Designation, a group of qualifying businesses who use the Made in NY mark on their website and in promotional material to indicate support of the program and their commitment to local production. Made in NY Designers site 75 percent of their production in New York City, providing a product pipeline to approximately 1,500 fashion manufacturers throughout the five boroughs. They include ready-to-wear, jewelry, and accessories that are all being celebrated and Made in New York.
• #WEARNEXT, a citywide public and private campaign to tackle waste and pollution in the fashion industry.