American fashion designer Nanette Lepore on Wednesday presented her fall collection 2008 along with an appeal to save the garment industry which is faced with "extinction" due to rising development.
Lepore is among the few remaining designers who can afford to have a workshop in Manhattan's garment district, located around 37th-39th Streets and 8th Avenue, where rising rents are forcing the industry to move to the Bronx, Queens, and even abroad to China and Peru.
In a flyer handed out to all who attended her show during Fashion Week -- buyers, reporters, boutique owners, celebrities -- the designer denounced rising costs which are gradually damaging the historical nature of the area.
"The collection you see on the runway today was designed, cut and sewn in New York City's Garment District. Yet here in the fashion capital of our country, the factories, trim and fabric shops, are on the verge of extinction," it said.
"These businesses are currently pushed out by the redevelopment of the neighborhood. We need your support to keep American fashion flourishing in the Garment District," it said urging readers to contact New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"Without these resources, thousands of livelihoods will be at risk. Future generations of designers will no longer have a place to realize their dreams."
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