September 8, 2016Fashion Week runs from September 8-15Generates an economic impact of almost $1B for the New York City Metro AreaWatch the ads hereNEW YORK—Today, the City kicked off New York Fashion Week (NYFW) with a robust, month-long marketing campaign that invested over half a million dollars to promote the City’s booming design and manufacturing sectors, reinforces the expanded Made in NY: Fashion initiative and spotlights talented certified designers in print and video. Twenty-three designers are now officially ‘Made in NY’, with 75 percent of their production made right here in the five boroughs, and more designers are signing up every week.NYFW is a week-long series of events that take place throughout the City where fashion designers showcase their collections. The semi-annual event generates almost $1B in tourism revenue for the New York City metro area. The de Blasio Administration has made nearly $100 million in investments to strengthen NYC’s home-grown fashion industry by promoting Made in NY designers, developing new space for local fashion manufactures and supporting the sector’s next generation by constructing the first new building on the Fashion Institute of Technology’s campus in decades.“My grandmother got her start in this country sewing dresses. Fashion is part of the New York City story, and it’s a gateway to creativity and opportunity for thousands of New Yorkers. From workers cutting patterns in Sunset Park, to designers in Midtown, this industry is part of the city’s DNA. We are investing big to make sure the future of fashion is made right here in New York,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.“Nobody knows fashion better than New Yorkers. The Made in NY brand is growing because the talent, creativity and energy here is unmatched, and because there is a real market demand for what our designers create. This administration is committed to investing in our designers and our workers, so we can grow this vital industry,” said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen.“New York City is the fashion capital of the world, and we are hard at work to keep it that way. The City’s burgeoning fashion industry is a critical component of our economy that generates nearly $11B in wages and $1.9B in tax revenue annually,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “We will continue working with our partners in the private sector and industry leaders to strengthen the City""s fashion sector by supporting local designers who strive to make it here - who strive to be Made in NY.”The NYC fashion industry, a $98 B industry, is one of the main drivers of the City’s economy with over 900 companies headquartered in the metro area employing over 182,000 people (over 5% of the City’s workforce) generating over $11B in wages and $1.9B in tax revenue annually. Fashion production represents over 30% of manufacturing jobs in the five boroughs, making New York City one of the largest centers of clothing manufacturing in the country. New York City is home to the world’s top fashion design school such as the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons The New School for Design, Pratt Institute and LIM College.To support local designers and fashion production, last year Mayor de Blasio announced the City would invest $15M in the fashion industry and launched the Made in NY: Fashion initiative to help catalyze the growth of emerging designers and brands, support fashion manufacturing, and cultivate a pipeline of industry talent.This year, a portion of that investment helped reinforce the Made in NY: Fashion initiatives through a comprehensive marketing campaign that highlights Made in NY certified designers B. Michael, Lela Rose, Anya Cole, Rony Vardi of Catbird, and Julie and Jason Alkire of Haus Alkire. The campaign, including print and video produced by Matte Projects, and will appear on bus shelters citywide, together with a number of related industry publications and social media. Additionally, the City refreshed the Made in NY: Fashion website that functions as a one-stop-shop for information and resources for designers seeking certification, funding, and resources to support their brands. “[Made in NY] is the idea of galvanizing like-minded designers, brands, factories and making sure that NYC remains the fashion capital of the world,” said B. Michael, co-founder of B. Michael America. “If you’re in New York City, paying your rent and bills, and still sharing your art with the world…you know you’ve made it here and Made in NY certification is a proud symbol of our success,” said Jason Alkire – Co-Founder, Haus Alkire. “Fashion in New York City is one of the true American industries, and Made in NY is helping keep this tradition alive.”“I would say that manufacturing in New York has been one of the key things to the success of our business. We can keep a very close eye on quality control, what we’re producing; all of this is done within a one-mile radius of our office,” said Lela Rose.“Finding knitters was all word-of-mouth, so I asked my doorman because doormen in New York City know everybody and everything,” said Anya Cole, founder of HANIA. “That’s how it started, and now there’s close to 100 knitters that we use. I consider New York City my ‘adopted hometown’ and it’s very important that we do everything here.”“We can vouch for everything that we make. Every molecule of it. I’ve been proud to be a part of the manufacturing community. Made in NY [Fashion] as an organization encourages that,” said Rony Vardi, founder and owner of Catbird.In collaboration with the private sector, Made in NY: Fashion supports all levels and components of the fashion ecosystem through various programs and initiatives such as:Made in NY Certification The Made in NY certification endows qualifying businesses with exclusive use of the distinguished “Made in NY” mark. Use of this mark will allow fashion brands to tangibly illustrate their commitment to local production and coalesce as a local community.Made in NY Campaign The fall 2016 campaign tells the unique stories of five certified designers and explores the benefits of their certifications. Through documentary-style video,print, social media, web content, and more, the campaign aims to influence more New York City designers to become Made in NY certified. Designers featured in the campaign explain why the Made in NY certification is important to them, why they choose to produce their merchandise in the City, and explain the benefits of their certification through real-world examples.Designers & Agents: Made in NY Collective The Designers & Agents: Made in NY Collective will directly support the participation of local designers at trade events during New York Market Week. For the first time, a select group of fashion designers will be offered fully subsidized Made in New York-branded exhibition spaces at the Designers & Agents (D&A) trade show taking place Saturday, September 17th through Monday, September 19th. This will provide participants with the opportunity to gain exposure to leading retailers in a dedicated area focused on New York-based designed and produced apparel and accessories. The Designers & Agents: Made in NY Collective will also implement a series of exclusive workshops and seminars in the weeks leading up to the industry trade show.NYC Fashion Production Fund The Fashion Production Fund was launched in partnership with Capital Business Credit in June 2014. The fund 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. In 2015, the Fashion Production Fund awarded 24 loans, totaling over $1.5 million in financing. To date, 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.Fashion Manufacturing Initiative The Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI) was launched in 2013 at the request of the industry. FMI is a program of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in partnership with NYCEDC and Founding Partner Andrew Rosen. It was created to nurture, elevate, and preserve garment production in New York City, ultimately connecting fashion designers to local manufacturing. The FMI program includes the FMI Grant Program, workforce development, the NYC Production Resources Database, and professional development & Made in NY collaborations. For more information about Made in NY: Fashion certification and initiatives, visit: https://madeinnyfashion.nyc/For more information on events taking place throughout the City, visit: http://www.nycgo.com/events/spring-summer-fashion-week