Video Transcript
Mike Kaback:
What’s great about this city, what’s great about the city is the history.

Phoebe Chongchua:
So I’m here with Mike’s Tours, Mike kba, and we are going to get the official New York City tour of the Fashion District. Tell me a little bit about what we’re going to see.

Mike Kaback:
We’ll visit a showroom, maybe a factory. You’ll learn the history of the apparel industry in New York City from 1609 to 2012.

Phoebe Chongchua:
The fashion industry is deep rooted in the culture of New York City. Just take a close look at the seal on the New York flag. Maybe you’ll see something that you haven’t noticed.

Mike Kaback:
I wanted to show you how important the Garment district is to the city of New York. They didn’t put here a printing machine, and they didn’t put in here a hospital bed, and they didn’t put in any other manufacturing. They put a beaver on the flag of the city, of the seal of the city of all. About New York City is about the Garment District. That’s how important the apparel industry is, has been and still is to New York City.

Phoebe Chongchua:
New York City is considered the fashion capital of the world. Millions of immigrants arrived in the city after the American Civil War. Many had skills in tailoring and sewing, which quickly turned New York City into the birthplace of designer trends. I’m sitting with Bernadette at the Jay Rosen showroom.

Bernadette Sperraza:
While I’m a sales representative here, I’ve been here for about seven and a half years, and we’re responsible for selling about 14 different swimwear and accessory brands to high-end boutiques and specialty department stores like Bloomingdale’s and Sacks to boutiques, anywhere from Calypso to shop op.com.

Phoebe Chongchua:
What are some of the hot trends coming up?

Bernadette Sperraza:
Well, definitely Fringe is very popular this year. You’re going to see Fringe all over and definitely a lot of color. Neons are super popular, bright colors. It’s everywhere. And our flip flops and our beach wear coverups, so definitely bright is in season.

Mike Kaback:
This here is the giant needle and the button with the letter F in the button in the colors of the fashion district bid.

Phoebe Chongchua:
It’s here in the fashion center Business improvement District that many come to take photos in front of a legendary statue that showcases the industry’s success stories.

Mike Kaback:
One out of a hundred become successful. It’s Mr. Weller. Mr. Weller becomes successful since his daughter to college and retires a wealthy man with a home uptown on the Upper West Side. Showroom in a beautiful building, one of these beautiful buildings here, and it proves that you can succeed here in New York.

Phoebe Chongchua:
The creative epicenter of Midtown Manhattan also has infamous designer names lining the pavement.

Mike Kaback:
His name in high school was Ralph Rueben Lifshitz, and everybody made fun of Lifshitz. So his father changed the name to Lauren, and he’s known for his cowboy look of the old West Ralph Lauren.

Phoebe Chongchua:
You might recognize this store. It’s called Mood. And this is where the show Project Runway brings its designers

Jack Sauma:
Project Runway. Originally, they come to us, they like the store. Of course they like the drum of the store. It’s like three. And so they wanted to talk to us about filming and my wife said she didn’t know whose Project Runway, what’s going on and so on. And then they came in and talked to us. I said, okay, if you do the right thing for us, we’ll be glad to host you here. It’s

Phoebe Chongchua:
Kind of made it even more of an iconic place to come.

Jack Sauma:
Well, originally, Mood has been very famous for young designers, especially in New York and maybe the country. But then, when Project Runway hit television, so the place became International.

Phoebe Chongchua:
Project Runway Films. Its reality TV series, now beginning its 10th season at this building. Parsons, the new School for Design in the fashion district in New York City.