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The Ascendance of New York Fashion

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  • Norma M. Rantisi

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of New York City from a low‐end, high‐volume apparel manufacturing hub to an international fashion capital. Drawing on evolutionary economic theories of path‐dependence, it argues that New York City's initial specialization in ready‐to‐wear apparel has shaped its subsequent development as a mass‐market oriented industry. At the same time, however, it shows how key institutional actors were able to alter the industry's course of development at critical historical junctures by nurturing and promoting their own local design talent. As such, the article's investigation into New York's ascendance as an international fashion center challenges the dominant interpretation of path‐dependence in regional development theory and practice. It contends that industries are not held captive to past choices and illustrates how an industry's origins can shape but not over‐determine its economic development trajectory. L'article examine l'évolution de la ville de New York, laquelle est passée d'un centre de manufacture industrielle de vêtements bas de gamme à une capitale internationale de la mode. En se basant sur les théories économiques évolutionnaires de path‐dependence, il affirme que la spécialisation initiale de New York dans le prêt‐à‐porter a modelé son évolution ultérieure vers une industrie de masse. Parallèlement, il montre toutefois comment des acteurs institutionnels clés ont modifié le cap de l'expansion industrielle à des moments historiques cruciaux en encourageant leurs talents de création locaux. Ce faisant, l'étude de la suprématie new‐yorkaise en tant que centre international de la mode défie l'interprétation dominante de la ‘dépendance de sentier’ dans la théorie et la pratique du développement régional. En effet, elle soutient que les secteurs d'activité ne sont pas prisonniers des choix passés, et illustre comment les origines d'une industrie peuvent influencer sa trajectoire d'expansion économique sans la déterminer irrésistiblement.

Suggested Citation

  • Norma M. Rantisi, 2004. "The Ascendance of New York Fashion," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 86-106, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:28:y:2004:i:1:p:86-106
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0309-1317.2004.00504.x
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    1. Norma Rantisi, 2002. "The Local Innovation System as a Source of 'Variety': Openness and Adaptability in New York City's Garment District," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(6), pages 587-602.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Wu, Xuepin & Ma, Yongjun, 2023. "Research on the comparison effect of urban residents' consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    3. Shiri M Breznitz & Douglas S Noonan, 2018. "Planting the seed to grow local creative industries: The impacts of cultural districts and arts schools on economic development," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 50(5), pages 1047-1070, August.
    4. Elizabeth Currid, 2006. "New York as a Global Creative Hub: A Competitive Analysis of Four Theories on World Cities," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 20(4), pages 330-350, November.
    5. Peter Karl Kresl, 2014. "A development officer's guide to clusters," Chapters, in: Pengfei Ni & Zheng Qiongjie (ed.), Urban Competitiveness and Innovation, chapter 12, pages 203-217, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Deborah Leslie & Shauna Brail & Mia Hunt, 2014. "Crafting an Antidote to Fast Fashion: The Case of Toronto's Independent Fashion Design Sector," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 222-239, June.
    7. Peter Kresl & Balwant Singh, 2012. "Urban Competitiveness and US Metropolitan Centres," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 49(2), pages 239-254, February.
    8. Elisa Arrigo, 2011. "Fashion, Luxury and Design: Store Brand Management and Global Cities Identity," Symphonya. Emerging Issues in Management, Niccolò Cusano University, issue 1 Global .
    9. Sarah Williams & Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, 2011. "The Emergence of Los Angeles as a Fashion Hub," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 48(14), pages 3043-3066, November.
    10. Su-Hyun Berg & Robert Hassink, 2013. "Creative industries from an evolutionary perspective: A critical literature review," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1306, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Apr 2013.
    11. Rik Wenting & Oedzge Atzema & Koen Frenken, 2011. "Urban Amenities and Agglomeration Economies? The Locational Behaviour and Economic Success of Dutch Fashion Design Entrepreneurs," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 48(7), pages 1333-1352, May.
    12. Patrizia Casadei & Neil Lee, 2020. "Global cities, creative industries and their representation on social media: A micro-data analysis of Twitter data on the fashion industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 52(6), pages 1195-1220, September.
    13. Sarah Williams & Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, 2014. "Industry in Motion: Using Smart Phones to Explore the Spatial Network of the Garment Industry in New York City," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(2), pages 1-11, February.
    14. Patrizia Casadei & David Gilbert & Luciana Lazzeretti, 2021. "Urban Fashion Formations in the Twenty‐First Century: Weberian Ideal Types as a Heuristic Device to Unravel the Fashion City," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5), pages 879-896, September.
    15. Helen X Trejo & Tasha L Lewis, 2020. "Evaluating New York raw fiber-to-retail," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 35(8), pages 787-807, December.
    16. Casadei, Patrizia & Gilbert, David, 2022. "Material and symbolic production of fashion in a global creative city. Industry’s perception of the 21st century London," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117531, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    17. Su-Hyun Berg, 2015. "Creative Cluster Evolution: The Case of the Film and TV Industries in Seoul, South Korea," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(10), pages 1993-2008, October.

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