Fashion Center BID rebrands as Garment District Alliance

Riding the wave of restaurants, bars, hotels and creative tenants that have filled the neighborhood spanning 35th to 41st Sts. between 5th and 9th Aves., the Fashion Center Business Improvement District (BID) is casting aside the label it's worn since its inception in 1993 and rebranding as the Garment District Alliance. To coincide with the rebranding, the Garment District Alliance - which represents the property owners, restaurants, nightlife spots, hotels, retailers, creative agencies and tech firms that have transformed the neighborhood in recent years - will work to reclaim the neighborhood's historic name, the Garment District, which resonates with New Yorkers and will come to represent its new reality as a hub of business, tourism and entertainment. "The evolution this neighborhood has experienced is breathtaking," said Barbara Blair Randall, president of the Garment District Alliance. "The new Garment District is a vibrant, eclectic neighborhood that rivals any in the city as a place to work, play, eat or shop. It is easy to get to, but hard to leave." With its central location in close proximity to a number of the nation's busiest transit hubs and shopping centers, the Garment District in recent years has become a hot spot for tourists and New Yorkers alike. Since 2008, 28 hotels have opened in the Garment District, with more on the horizon - including the Archer, slated for 2014. In fact, 90% of the hotels built in Midtown in the last four years were in the Garment District. More than 100 tech firms now call the Garment District home, attracted by the neighborhood's classic art deco architecture and modernized loft spaces that recall its industrial past. As a result, vacancies are at a 20-year low. Buzzworthy eateries from Parker & Quinn to Delmonico's, and trendy nightlife spots that include some of the city's best rooftop bars have flocked to the Garment District to capitalize on the influx of visitors and workers. Broadway in the new Garment District is livelier than ever, hosting world-class public art installations and street fairs on its pedestrian plazas, which offer some of the best people-watching in New York City. And this January, Broadway - from 33rd to 44th Sts. - will transform into "Super Bowl Boulevard" when New York hosts the NFL's championship game. "There is an authentic, early 20th-century industrial character that we've seen neighborhoods throughout New York City try very hard to manufacture because it is what businesses, visitors and residents are looking for right now - and yet it happens to be the authentic character of the Garment District, which we are embracing with this name," said Randall. "The district boasts both class A office buildings with modern infrastructure and classic loft buildings, giving it a variety of choices for tenants ranging from Fortune 500 companies to creative services and tech firms. And that is where we are - you can't get more Midtown than this." The Garment District Alliance unveilved a new logo and visual identity system for the district as part of today's announcement. The symbol is the map of the city blocks that make up the Garment District, where Eighth Avenue, Seventh Avenue, Broadway and Sixth Ave. form the word "IN" - to connect with all that is in the new Garment District. The logo - which will appear on banners, signage, uniforms, the Alliance website and marketing materials that will be developed in the coming months - was officially approved by the organization's board during a vote on September 18th. To design the logo, explore a potential name change and help develop a marketing strategy, the Garment District Alliance brought in The Brand Union, a world-class global branding and design agency. As part of its work, The Brand Union conducted interviews and surveys of stakeholders inside and outside the neighborhood, which reaffirmed the strength of the Garment District name. The new brand will also adorn the popular Information Kiosk at the corner of 39th St. and 7th Ave., which has been redesigned and is timed to change during the reconstruction of the plazas at 1411 Broadway.