Thank you to everybody who came to the Save the Garment Center Rally on Wednesday. It was a huge success with over 750 supporters showing up and letting their voices be heard. Among the many supporters were designers Yeohlee Teng, Michael Kors, Elie Tahari, Diane von Furstenberg, and, of course, the event organizer Nanette Lepore. Many people shared moving stories on what the Garment Center has meant to them and their businesses. One key point Nanette made, “If there is one thing that we should have clearly learned this year.…We cannot base New York City’s entire economy on two industries: Wall Street and real estate. Those industries are important — those people wear clothes…But we need a diversified economy in New York City, so when there is a Wall Street setback it doesn’t become a massive problem in our city.” Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson gave a strong speech, making it clear that unlike his competitor, Mayor Bloomberg, he believes in the Garment Center and the Made in NYC label. He promised, “As mayor, I’ll work with manufacturers, the fashion industry, and labor unions to arrange for up to one million square feet of dedicated garment manufacturing space in nonprofit buildings.” The labor unions showed up as well, with many cutters and sewers from the Workers United group proudly holding their Sew NY signs. **For lots more info on the Garment Center and a behind the scenes look at the fashion industry, please visit our blog http://www.39thandbroadway.com/ Thanks!**
We found this gem of scoop courtesy of Fashion Indie. Yes, that is an actual memo from publishing giant Conde Nast (Vogue, Self, Allure, W, Glamour) to their slovenly employees. We actually aren’t that shocked by what crazy, dirty, bitches there are in fashion publishing. But we were surprised to see that Conde Naste actually listens to their lowly intern’s concerns. This is far better than how most apparel companies treat interns. Now, we are just waiting to see if someone can snag a photo of Anna Wintour doing her own dishes! Priceless! If that isn’t enough of a laugh at Vogue’s expense, did you hear about the ice queen’s comments on recession proofing the fashion industry? The CFDA and other industry heavyweights met to discuss the loss of sales in the retail industry. Basically, there is too big of a timing delay between the highly publicized runway shows and when the clothing actually appears in stores. By the time the consumer is able to buy the goods, the styles subconsciously appear outdated from excessive media exposure. According to Jezebel.com, Anna Wintour’s proposed solution was definitely the highlight, though. The Vogue editor offered this gem:“Could someone lead a committee that would make ground rules for retailers of when the discounting starts, and then all the retailers can agree to it?” Von Furstenberg filled her in on the fact that that was illegal - if the big department stores had any agreement like that, it would amount to price-fixing and collusion, an anti-trust lawsuit in the making. “Is that something we can change?” asked Wintour. “We have friends in the White House now!” Brilliant Anna, just brilliant! For lots more fashion scoop and a unique view on the industry from behind the scenes visit our own blog, http://www.39thandbroadway.com/
We found this gem of scoop courtesy of Fashion Indie. Yes, that is an actual memo from publishing giant Conde Nast (Vogue, Self, Allure, W, Glamour) to their slovenly employees. We actually aren’t that shocked by what crazy, dirty, bitches there are in fashion publishing. But we were surprised to see that Conde Naste actually listens to their lowly intern’s concerns. This is far better than how most apparel companies treat interns. Now, we are just waiting to see if someone can snag a photo of Anna Wintour doing her own dishes! Priceless! If that isn’t enough of a laugh at Vogue’s expense, did you hear about the ice queen’s comments on recession proofing the fashion industry? The CFDA and other industry heavyweights met to discuss the loss of sales in the retail industry. Basically, there is too big of a timing delay between the highly publicized runway shows and when the clothing actually appears in stores. By the time the consumer is able to buy the goods, the styles subconsciously appear outdated from excessive media exposure. According to Jezebel.com, Anna Wintour’s proposed solution was definitely the highlight, though. The Vogue editor offered this gem:“Could someone lead a committee that would make ground rules for retailers of when the discounting starts, and then all the retailers can agree to it?” Von Furstenberg filled her in on the fact that that was illegal - if the big department stores had any agreement like that, it would amount to price-fixing and collusion, an anti-trust lawsuit in the making. “Is that something we can change?” asked Wintour. “We have friends in the White House now!” Brilliant Anna, just brilliant! For lots more fashion scoop and a unique view on the industry from behind the scenes visit our own blog, http://www.39thandbroadway.com/
Come on you know what we mean, everybody has one. That dream monologue that runs through your head every-time your boss does something that makes you want to jump out the window. That daydream of walking into your boss’s office and telling her what an untalented *#@# she really is and then storming out the door while “accidentally” knocking her low-fat half/caf frappucino onto her new Balenciaga bag. Oops! Or what about telling the VP how incompetent your boss is and that you’ve been covering for her for the last year! Oh what fun, to dream of a techpack free, pattern free life, to never worry about price-points or crazy fabric suppliers again. Maybe you’re more vengeful or passive aggressive and dream about waiting until the deadline for market week sampling and then letting your employer know that they can no longer take advantage of you by making you work long hour for low pay. And as you exit the office with no 2 weeks notice you smile with the knowledge that they will have no line to show for market. Ouch!! Yes, completely unprofessional but hey its a fantasy and we say whatever gets you through the day! So share your “I Quit” fantasy…
There are a lot of bosses out there and it seems to us that many of them are atrocious. Okay, maybe that’s an extreme statement, but really, how many of you hate your boss? The number one reason that employees in the US quit their jobs, in any industry, is dissatisfaction with their superior. Fashion is notorious for its villainous bosses; from greedy garmentos to diva designers, we’ve got them all. While intense, aggressive, and even evil bosses can be found in any industry, we sure seem to have a plethora of them (and the New York attitude doesn’t help). So why does every fashionista we know seem to have at least one bad boss story that evokes extreme visceral reactions even years after the fact? Well, we have many theories, but have not come to a consensus here. Basically, we seem to have two general trains of thought.
The first theory is that fashion is a creative and very personal field. Many people that work in this industry are highly creative, and artists of some kind; perhaps, we are more sensitive and emotional people in the first place. Since the industry is also made up of many type-A business people for whom earnings are the sole reason they get up in the morning, the resulting interaction between the two can be tenuous at best. Fashion is one of the few industries in which you are actually creating something whereby any critique or criticism can feel like a personal attack, additionally fashion is extremely subjective. This explains the never-ending battle between buyers, salespeople, designers, and production managers regarding what’s good, what’s bad, what’s hot, what’s not, what’s too forward and what’s saleable; and why it often ends in an inner office scream fest. Tensions often run high when every party believes their knowledge, their sense of style, and their taste level is the only one that matters. Add to that, millions of dollars on the line and tempers will undoubtedly flare.
The second theory is that fashion is a superficial industry that continuously attracts world class nut-jobs and arrogant a-holes. Okay, so this is not so much a theory as the simple fact that every fashion company seems to employ at least one crazy diabolical boss whose reason for getting up in the morning is to bring misery to her employees. These vile bosses often believe they are queen of the world and will not hesitate to rip your heart out if you dare challenge them. In one day’s research, we have heard horror stories that make Miranda Priestly; ala the Devil Wears Prada, look like Glenda the Good Witch. There is really no excuse for the abhorrent behavior listed below; however it may make you feel better about your own boss, so we’d thought we’d share a few stories.
- Upon receiving a box of samples that one boss decided were not to her taste, she vehemently began throwing samples at her design team (scratching one assistant with a zipper to the face) then proceeded to dump the entire contents of the shipping box onto the floor for the designers to clean up and refold.
- One sales VP, upon viewing the newest line, demanded to know if the designer ever went to fashion school and followed that up with “the problem is somebody your size should be designing mumus not skinny jeans.”
- A crazy production manager who constantly screamed at her staff in Mandarin, despite the fact that only a third of them understood her, often demanded that her staff work until 9:00pm at night with no dinner break because “you Americans are too lazy.”
- This design director took gleeful pleasure in often reducing her team to tears with jabs at their weight, attractiveness, clothing choices, marital status, salaries, and when all else failed their racial and ethnic backgrounds. All of which she would deny to HR and consequently fire the tattle-telling staff member.
- One psychotic boss, in the midst of one of her typical rants and rages, turned upon her newest assistant and slapped the poor girl across the face. And yes, she was the only one on this list fired but not for several weeks.
Those are just five of the many examples that we could give, and truthfully we cannot come to understand how so many of these wack-jobs come to work in the fashion industry. For those not in the industry wondering why people continue to work in such a tough business with difficult work environments, all we can say is doing something you love and have a passion for it is a rare thing in this world. If you are lucky enough to get paid to do what you love and get up everyday for a career rather than a job, you can’t let one witch stop you. We’d love to hear your theories on the profusion of evil bosses in fashion. As we had so much fun reminiscing on workplace disasters for this post, we will be putting together a boss horror story article coming soon. So we would love to hear all your boss horror stories and of course keep you (and them) anonymous. Just use the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of our site and share the drama with us.
***For more insider fashion scoop visit our blog at www.39thandbroadway.com***
In honor of Valentine’s Day we dedicate a post to the one true love we all share, our city. So, happy Valentine’s Day from everyone here at 39thandbroadway.com in New York City; the most beloved city in the world. In no particular order here are the top 15 reasons we love New York City.
#1. Because of our fashion. Fashion week, the best fashion schools, top notch shopping, and the Garment Center of course; wherever you are in the city, your fashion fix is only a block away.
#2. Because our mayor works for free. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who does not need the work, has done such an excellent job of managing the country’s biggest city, on a $1 yearly salary, that many politicians from both sides of the aisle encouraged him to run for the presidency.
#3. Because you’ll never be short of visitors. Living in NYC, family and friends will often visit because everybody wants to see New York. Not to mention, all the visits from people in town on business and anyone traveling overseas.
#4. Because Frank Sinatra was right when he said, “If you can make it here you can make it anywhere” and he wasn’t talking about Bismarck.
#5. Because wherever you were born, you are a New Yorker now. With the most diverse population, millions of us New Yorkers were not born in this state or even this country, but once you’re here you’re home.
#6. Because Britney Spears, George Bush, Simon Cowell, Sara Palin, Manny Ramirez, and Spencer Pratt don’t live here.
#7. Because Alicia Keys, Bill Clinton, Tim Gunn, Katie Couric, Derek Jeter, and Whitney Port do.
#8. Because you can travel the world without leaving your neighborhood. Where else can you stand on a street corner and hear 10 different languages spoken? And within 3 blocks encounter food from a dozen various countries yet still be in the United States.
#9. Because if it’s 1am on Tuesday evening and you want to hang a picture, eat sushi, drink a Brooklyn micro brew, and get lucky, you can have them all delivered, thanks to your local hardware store, Japanese restaurant, bodega, and “massage” parlor.
#10. Because our transportation snafus make worldwide front pages. NYC is the only place where US Airways flight 1549 could land in a river and have first responders on the scene within 60 seconds. Thanks, Sully!
#11. Because we still get our meat from the butcher, our fish from the fish market, our cheese from a cheese shop, and there isn’t a Wal-Mart or Meijers in town.
#12. Because when you tell people where you’re from, when you travel back home or abroad, their response tells more about them than about you. Either you get, “That’s awesome, how exiting, but I could never live there.” From the content with their life non-urbanite or you get, “Ew New York, so you think you are better than me, well at least I don’t have to worry about getting mugged.” From the insecure, jealous bumpkin, or lastly, “Really, oh my God, I would love to live there.” From the future New Yorker.
#13. Because a year riding the F train is like completing courses in Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Theology, Health, and Human Sexuality.
#14. Because it’s not New Jersey!
#15. Because our history is around every corner and on every block it’s a constant reminder of where we all came from and where we’re going. Our view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remind us how many of us got here and the prewar buildings we live in and work in, remind us of how we made it. In a city with thousands of landmarks, we are constantly living in our past, present and future and we think our neighborhood, the Garment Center, is the perfect example of this.
From my blog at www.39thandbroadway.com
So after surfing the web recently, we came across lots of questions/message boards/blog posts etc from young girls, fashion students or even professionals in other industries who want to be fashion designers. They’ve seen the movies and read the magazines and dream about the glamorous life of a designer. They all have images of spending your days out shopping or sitting in some cool NYC loft space just sketching away until, poof -like magic, your idea becomes an actual garment selling at Bergdorf’s.
It’s not that we want to burst anyone’s bubble, because we’ve all been there. However it seems like maybe somebody should mention the hours spent tech-packing or the countless meetings getting “design direction” from sales people, or being told “yeah -great idea, but not gonna fit the price point”! So while it’s difficult to give an actual breakdown of a day in the life, since every job and company are different, here is an outline based on several designers’ experiences at many various companies in the garment center.
9:15-run into work a bit late and tired since you have been at the office until 10pm all week trying to make a deadline
9:20-10:30- answer e-mails from factories overseas and explain or rework any outstanding issues they have on your tech-packs in order to get samples made
10:30-11:00-FedEx delivers samples from factories, they all have to be checked for mistakes, speced out, tagged, hung etc.
11:-00-12:00-all samples that need to be revised are fit and retech-packed, new e-mails are sent to factory or reworked in internal sample room
12:00-1:00-review with sales team what came in, what they need, why they hate everything etc. and get all new direction on styles that are need asap
1:00-1:30-design meeting to review what needs to be finished, review sketches and finalize what is going forward- also assign new sales projects for design to be sent out asap
1:30-2:00-meet with vendors and supplies for next seasons fabrics, trims, direction etc.
2:00-3:00-work on approving lab-dips, trim cards, fabrics, wash panels etc.
3:00-3:30-fit session with fit model and tech dept.
3:30-5:00-finally get to work on sketching and tech-packing designs
5:00-6:00-finalize any outstanding issues with, sales, production or tech dept. before they leave for the day
6:00-6:30-work on finalizing all production styles
6:30-7:00-get all the day’s packages ready to send to China for FedEx evening pick-up
7:00-8:00-finish all urgent tech-packs including specs and artwork graphics
8:00-8:30-send out all sampling emails
8:30-9:30-sketchy commute to your walk-up in Brooklyn because God knows the job doesn’t pay enough to live in the city, but really isn’t being a designer its own reward, lol.
Of course this is a very general description, but you get the idea. So besides all the work listed above, squeezing in time for trend research, sketch inspiration or shopping, is a challenge. (Yes, we know we skipped lunch, but hey, you wanted a realistic idea, right?)
So please share your comments; we’d love to hear how your day stacks up!
All the telltale signs are there, the end of an era at Vogue is coming. From Perez to Page Six everybody’s been speculating that Anna Wintour is on the way out at Vogue. So is fashion’s queen of mean leaving for retirement? Well according to her publicist, no. On the other hand, is she getting the boot? It seems possible. Everyone over at Conde Naste has been buzzing about the tension in the air and the long visit the big boss has just paid to the French Vogue editor. Carine Roitfeld (pictured below left) is Anna’s French counterpart and said to be her replacement.
December is always the time in our business to be fired, before bonuses and end of the year raises, comes pink slips. So why should Anna be any different? The signs are all there, just as for any employee: poor performance (Vogue sales slipped behind Elle), failure to be forward thinking (passing on Project Runway), project failures (closing of Men’s Vogue), not being fresh and new enough for fashion (twenty decades at Vogue, with the same hair cut too). Yeah, it’s time! The writing’s been on the wall for awhile now, we have a feeling Vogue will have a new editor-in-chief next year. So long to our favorite fashion ice queen!
**For more fashion scoop visit our site www.39thandbroadway.com**
Great to have a group for fashion industry workers here on Vox!
We have a new kind of fashion blog it's great for anyone working in fashion or looking to work in the NYC garment center. This is a fashion blog written by actual NYC fashion designers working in the garment district. A unique perspective and look at fashion. Also includes an open forum and soon fashion jobs!
http://www.39thandbroadway.com/
Some of our most popular posts have been;
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Easy job equals fashion designer?
- Make more money fashionistas
- Why your size label means sh*t
- Lauren Conrad, designer for reals?
- 3D technology for fashion design
- Fashion interns, spoiled beotches!
- Favorite eats in the garment district
So come check us out and help spread the word on the NYC fashion industry's newest community!
If anybody's interested in a fashion career or if you're already a part of the fashion industry you must visit our blog. It's not your typical fashion blog as it's from the less glamorous NYC garment center perspective. We are actual designers sharing our unique perspective on fashion, work, style, and New York. Check it out;
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