New York City, Capital of Fashion

How did New York City emerge over the course of the 20th century as a major capital of fashion? For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Paris was the epicenter of fashion and haute couture. Although the garment trades flourished in 19th- and early 20th-century New York City, the city carried none of the cultural weight of Paris in setting trends or glamor in creating the fantasies that stand at the heart of marketing fashions. Yet, by the mid-twentieth century, New York City had emerged as a major fashion powerhouse, exerting significant economic and cultural influence on the global stage. This seminar explores the historical rise of New York as a fashion capital from the mid-19th century to the present. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines economic history, labor studies, design history, urban studies, sociology, and visual culture, students will examine how New York’s garment industry, the publishing world, artistic communities, media environment, and immigrant labor networks shaped the fashion industry in New York City. By the end of the semester, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the forces—economic, aesthetic, technological, and social—that enabled New York to rival Paris.