From the Archive: Building Fashion

by · WWD
The Garment Center Capitol, June 3, 1921.Fairchild Archive/WWD

Famous addresses are reserved for cultural significance. In fashion, that usually means Paris, where legendary couture houses made their names. In June 1921, as commercialization pushed apparel manufacturing out of Lower Manhattan, much of the trade moved uptown, landing on or near Fifth Avenue. The shift was temporary. As Fifth Avenue became New York‘s premiere shopping stroll, it rezoned manufacturing farther north. To support the industry, the Garment Center Capitol Association centralized at two now-iconic addresses. With facades facing Seventh Avenue, 498 and 500 Seventh Avenue promised a future for America’s fashion capitol and over time, helped chart the success of Norman Norell, Bill Blass, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren, among others.