NYCEDC And Not Just a Label Announce "Made in NY" Pop-Up Store at Iconic Waldorf Astoria
NEW YORK, NY—Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NOT JUST A LABEL (NJAL), the world’s largest global network of contemporary designers and a leading curator of fashion talent, today announced the launch of a temporary retail store at the Waldorf Astoria New York, part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ‘Made in NY’ initiative.
The NOT JUST A LABEL | Made in NY store will be open daily from 11am to 9pm beginning Friday, December 4th and continuing through Sunday, December 13th. This pop-up store will showcase a diverse selection of 400 products from 100 emerging designers based in New York City, making it the first standalone City-sponsored fashion retail initiative to support the growth of the local fashion, manufacturing, and creative industries. All products available for purchase at the NOT JUST A LABEL | Made in NY store have been designed and produced within the five boroughs. The store is intended not only to highlight the city’s diversity of emerging talent, but to provide local entrepreneurs with a platform to communicate their brand’s unique story and aesthetic to an international customer base, strengthening the global awareness, visibility, and demand for products manufactured and designed in New York City.
Along with the unique opportunity to retail their products at the Waldorf Astoria New York, participating designers will have the chance to interact with industry leaders, influencers, and members of the press, increasing their company’s foothold and stature within the fashion community. Participating brands will also have the option to take part in one-on-one mentoring sessions focused on different aspects of growing a fashion company. This targeted training will enable some of New York City’s most promising young designers to strengthen their companies’ core business fundamentals, in addition to the enhanced sales and brand awareness generated by the retail store.
NJAL will also offer public educational events during the evenings, featuring an array of local talent, spanning the worlds of fashion design, manufacturing, retail, education, public relations, and journalism. Members of the public are invited to attend ‘Made in NY’-themed panel discussions to engage with the City’s vibrant fashion ecosystem and delve deeply into pertinent industry issues. Building on these conversations, the store will also offer “Fashion and Fantasy,” a curated selection of film shorts screened at 5pm daily, presenting an in-depth look into the historical influences and intricacies of New York City’s creative culture.
“The fashion industry employs nearly 185,000 New Yorkers, and attracts more than 500,000 visitors to our city every year,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen. “That’s why Mayor de Blasio has tripled funding for the Made in NY Fashion initiative, and launched new programs like the Made in NY certification for locally manufactured brands and marketing support for local entrepreneurs. This pop-up store is another key part of that ongoing effort, giving a major boost to some of our most exciting local designers and helping ensure New York remains a global fashion capital for the 21st century.”
“Mayor de Blasio and NYCEDC are continuing to invest in New York City’s fashion industry and the good jobs that it creates,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “We are thrilled to be launching the first-ever Made in NY pop-up store, helping talented young designers grow their businesses by showcasing their collections to a diverse local and international audience.”
“NOT JUST A LABEL | Made in NY gives even the youngest of New York designers the opportunity to realize their dreams of showcasing their collections to this incredible city,” said Founder & CEO of NJAL Stefan Siegel. “The Waldorf Astoria is the perfect setting for the celebration of New York City’s creative economy. For decades, New York City has functioned at the center of the fashion universe, an iconic source of talent, creativity, and international influence, however it is often easy for emerging designers to be forgotten. With support from NYCEDC, we aim to create an ecosystem that celebrates, supports and sustains entrepreneurship and innovation in New York City fashion as we have done with other partners across the globe.”
“As a host to the world and destination for locals and visitors alike, some of society’s most creative and influential minds began their careers within the inspirational environment of the Waldorf Astoria New York,” said Waldorf Astoria New York Managing Director Michael Hoffmann. “We’re proud to continue this legacy with NOT JUST A LABEL | Made in NY, offering the city’s most notable young designers with a platform to showcase their talents to a truly global audience.”
The pop-up store builds upon previous successful ‘Made in NY’ fashion initiatives, including the Barneys NY x CFDA: Made in New York Collection, a limited-edition collection of women’s and men’s apparel designed by seven prominent New York City-based brands, produced within the five boroughs, and retailed exclusively at Barneys stores across the country through January 2016; the inaugural ‘Made in NY’ campaign, a large-scale showcasing of local design talent displayed in advertisements on 600 taxi tops, 75 buses, several billboards (including in Times Square), and City-managed ferry and cruise vessels and terminals; the debut ‘Made in NY’ Award, which honored Theory CEO Andrew Rosen for his extraordinary and lasting contributions to the fashion industry, presented at Women’s Wear Daily’s Apparel & Retail CEO Summit; and the ‘Made in NY’ certification program, which endows qualifying fashion brands with exclusive use of the distinguished ‘Made in NY’ mark.
These initiatives complement the City’s ongoing efforts to support manufacturers and designers and ensure the continued growth of New York City’s fashion industry. In January 2015, NYCEDC and Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced the second round of winners for the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, a $6 million public-private initiative designed to support local fashion manufacturing by awarding grants for equipment and machinery, technology upgrades, and workforce training. Through its first two cycles, FMI has granted over $1.1 million to 13 production facilities throughout the city, helping retain and create new manufacturing jobs locally.
This summer, NYCEDC and Capital Business Credit announced the latest series of loans awarded by the NYC Fashion Production Fund, an initiative that provides New York City-based emerging designers with purchase order financing at below-market rates. To date, the Fashion Production Fund has issued $1.9 million to support 25 production financing loans. And in October 2015, NYCEDC and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) awarded $150,000 in prize money to local fashion brands Cadet and Haus Alkire, the first and second place winners of the Design Entrepreneurs NYC (DENYC) program. Now going into its fifth year, Design Entrepreneurs NYC is a free, intensive “mini-MBA” program and business plan competition that teaches New York City-based entrepreneurs how to successfully manage and expand their fashion businesses.
The City’s fashion industry accounts for 5.4 percent of the city’s workforce, pays $11.6 billion in wages, and generates $1.4 billion in tax revenue annually. New York City’s wholesale fashion market is one of the world’s largest, attracting more than 578,000 visitors per year to its trade shows, showrooms and fashion shows. Overall, the industry garners more than $18 billion in retail sales, $72 billion in wholesale sales, and $8 billion in manufacturing sales annually. The City’s semi-annual Fashion Weeks draw approximately 232,000 attendees to more than 500 shows, creating a total economic impact of $887 million.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation creates shared prosperity across New York City’s five boroughs by strengthening neighborhoods and creating good jobs. NYCEDC works with and for communities to provide them with the resources they need to thrive, and we invest in projects that increase sustainability, support job growth, develop talent, and spark innovation to strengthen the City’s competitive advantage. To learn more about our work and initiatives, please visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
