Rep. Maloney and Deputy Mayor Glen Announce the Fashion Industry's Economic Impact

NEW YORK—Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), joined by NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, appeared today at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), along with FIT President Joyce Brown, to release a new report on the economic impact of the fashion industry.

The release of the report coincides with the 2016 Fall/Winter Fashion Week, which -- combined with the September shows -- attracts over 200,000 attendees to NYC and generates nearly $900 million in total economic impact.

The report by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, of which Rep. Maloney is the Ranking Member, shows that fashion is an important economic driver. The industry—including design, manufacturing, wholesale and retail—provides approximately 183,000 jobs in New York City, about 6 percent of the city’s private sector workforce. These include thousands of jobs in the most creative parts of the industry, including research and development, design, and marketing. Jobs in these areas require more training and education and therefore are generally higher salaried positions. Approximately 7,000 fashion designers work in New York, about 40 percent of all those working in the United States.

The report also shows that New York City is by far the largest fashion hub in the United States, rivaling traditional fashion centers like Paris, Milan, and London.

“Fashion Week is a time when our city shines, because New York is one of the greatest—no, the greatest—fashion capital in the world,” said Congresswoman Maloney. “The United States has become a world leader in the high-value added parts of the fashion industry—design, research and marketing, high-tech manufacturing. It is an industry based on ideas, creativity and vision. And New York is #1.”

"The fashion industry is as integral to New York City's economy as our city is to the fashion industry," said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. "The de Blasio administration is focused on ensuring a Made in NY fashion ecosystem continues to grow and thrive, from the smallest designers and local manufacturers to the powerhouse institutions."

The report also shows that the West Coast is another important fashion center and that a number of other cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami and others also play a role in the fashion industry. Even smaller cities like Nashville, Columbus, Kansas City and Providence have small but growing clusters of creative work in the industry. However, no city in the United States rivals New York.

Maloney also praised the City's Made in NY Fashion initiative, which expanded the Made in NY branding to the fashion industry, tripled the City's investment in the local fashion economy, and launched an ambitious suite of initiatives aimed at supporting emerging local designers and manufacturers and cultivating a robust pipeline of fashion industry talent in NYC.

Photo 1 (L-R): FIT President Joyce Brown, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen

Photo 2 (L-R): Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, FIT President Joyce Brown, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen