NEW YORK — The New York City Economic Development Corp. launched a three-week marketing campaign on Wednesday as New York Fashion Week gets under way that consists of print, social media, digital and video.
The campaign spotlights the city’s growing fashion design and manufacturing sector, and promotes a diverse array of Made in New York Certified fashion designers.
To support local designers and fashion production, Mayor Bill de Blasio tripled the city’s investment in the fashion industry in 2015 to $15 million from $5 million. He also launched the Made in New York: Fashion initiative to catalyze the growth of emerging designers and brands, galvanize the fashion design and manufacturing community, and cultivate a pipeline of industry talent. There are 33 designers now “Made in NY” certified, with 75 percent of their production manufactured within the five boroughs.
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The documentary style marketing campaign tells the stories of four such designers — Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Cadet, Dannijo and Maiyet. The campaign will also appear on bus shelters and newsstands citywide.
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The marketing encourages more New York-based designers to become part of the Made in NY certified community. Designers featured in the campaign explain why Made in NY certification is important to them, why they choose to produce their merchandise in the city and the benefits of their certification through real-world examples.
“We see incredible potential for Made in NY fashion, and more importantly, it’s clear that innovative designers see it, too,” said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. “We are committed to putting our investment and our marketing behind this industry. Through our Made in NY campaign, we will continue to promote and invest in this iconic industry, the jobs it creates and the small business it supports.”
James Patchett, the new president and chief executive officer of NYCEDC said the fashion industry is a big driver of the city’s economy.
“We know the future of fashion is Made in New York, and by driving more customers to our emerging designers and manufacturers, we’ll help them grow their businesses and create good jobs for even more New Yorkers,” Patchett said.
Rojas said, “We want to be ethical, and Made in NY certification signifies that.”
For Paul van Zyl, ceo and cofounder of Maiyet, “Made in NY means supporting the local economy and sustaining local manufacturing. We’re doing our part to protect New York City’s fashion legacy.”
Cadet cofounders Raúl Arévalo and Brad Schmidt, and Dannijo cofounders Jodie Snyder Morel and Danielle Snyder, all noted the advantages of local manufacturing to the creative and production processes.
Fashion production represents more than 30 percent of manufacturing jobs in the five boroughs, making New York the second largest hub of garment manufacturing in the country after Los Angeles.
Through collaboration with the private sector, Made in NY: Fashion supports several levels and components of the fashion ecosystem through various programs and initiatives. Made in NY Certification allows use of the “Made in NY” mark for qualifying businesses. Use of this mark allows fashion brands to tangibly illustrate their commitment to local production and coalesce as a local community.
The Fashion Production Fund, launched in partnership with Capital Business Credit in 2014, provides emerging designers with production financing at below-market rates and flexible terms to cover the costs of purchase orders. Loans awarded range between $50,000 and $300,000, with terms from 30 to 120 days. Since 2015, the fund has provided 30 loans, a total of $2.5 million in financing, to emerging NYC-based designers in order to manufacture their collections locally.
The Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, launched in 2013, is a program of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in partnership with NYCEDC and founding partner Andrew Rosen. It was created to nurture, elevate and preserve garment production in the city, ultimately providing a way to connect fashion designers with local manufacturing.