“I Can Get It For You Wholesale” – An Urban Myth? Not Anymore!
Discover New York’s Best Garment Center Shopping Tour
Insider access to this famous neighborhood, from Inseam to Runway! Visit New York’s fashion designer showrooms, snag major bargains, then discuss your experience with friends, old and new, over lunch or dinner.
| Who: | Shoppers looking for bargains up to 70% off retail on clothes and accessories. |
| What: | Insider Access to Designer Showrooms and Sample Sales |
| Where: | The Garment Center |
| When: | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Monday – Friday or Saturday, by special request. |
| Why: | We really can get it for you wholesale! |
OUR Four hour programs include:
- Expert guide for interactive discussions about the Garment District, its’ History, the Current Trends and Insider shopping tips.
- Insider access to places not open to the public:
- Showrooms are selected to fit the group’s demographics, including sizing and what items they are interested in purchasing. Showrooms and sample sales generally have traditional sizes 2 -12. (Plus sizes or extra small sizes cannot be guaranteed.). These are samples, not a complete selection that would be available in major stores. If a designer is in his/her showroom, we make arrangements for a quick meet and greet, but cannot guarantee their availability.
- You can explore the retail shops that sell fabrics, notions and trims in addition to the wholesale designer showrooms and sample sales. As the Experts, let us customize the experience for you.
- Bragging Rights over lunch or dinner at Ben’s Kosher Deli –Who got the best deal?
- All taxes and gratuities included
Not included:
- Transportation is additional upon request since all programs are designed for walking rain or shine
- Alcoholic beverages may be paid individually at the end of the meal
- Click here for Credit Card Authorization Form.
Neighborhood Background:
While New York’s days as the textile-manufacturing capital of America may be over, New York remains the fashion capital for designers, couture houses and showrooms. No other city has a comparable concentration of fashion businesses and talent in a single district The Garment District started on the Lower East Side during the late 1800’s. Immigrants brought their tailoring skills from their home countries to earn their living. These new citizens created “piecework” using their individual skills in their own homes. As zoning laws changed to prevent people working at home, they concentrated their talents in what became known as the Garment Center.
New garment lofts and show rooms multiplied after 1920. Between 1920 and 1928,120 enormous, high-rise manufacturing and showroom buildings were erected north of 35th Street, creating a distinct ecosystem. On the side streets, trucks delivered material and loaded finished garments, frequently blocking traffic. Garments were carted through traffic by “push boys,” making life difficult for pedestrians.
By 1931, the Garment District had the largest concentration of clothing manufacturers in the world. Most turned out ready-made copies of Parisian couture; American designers were still mostly anonymous. World War II suspended the influence of Paris and American designers and manufacturers demonstrated that they could successfully design and mass produce a range of stylish clothing.
In 1984, the City’s ban on homework was rescinded. By the mid-1980s, much manufacturing had left the Garment District. Ironically, it returned to the place it had started — lower Manhattan, especially to the Lower East Side and Chinatown. Today, architectural historians have petitioned to list the Garment District on the National Register of Historic Places.
1-2 minimum: $575 per person
3 people $411 per person
4 people $326 per person
5 people $277 per person
6 people $244 per person
7 people $221 per person
8 people $209 per person
Please Click Here for a Personalized Itinerary or here to Gift an Experience.
