Video I Debut: Made in the Garment Center

The garment workers have defined and supported a cultural fashion and theatrical phenomenon.  But they are now threatened of being priced out of their home of almost a century: the Garment Center.  Levine gave an insightful interview, rich with information on how the theatrical community and costume designers in the Garment Center are interwoven.  Much of this footage had to be cut out since this video was a profile of Arnold Levine and not about the collaborative process of the design and theater community, although some of it is mentioned.

One of the reasons Levine believed the Garment Center to be critical in supporting New York’s theater community was the pay structure of actors.  Actors get paid to go on fittings.  So if costume designers like Levine were to move out of the Garment Center to someplace more affordable like Long Island CIty or New Jersey, it would complicate the current business model, which isn’t to say it can’t be changed.  Perhaps more compelling was his argument that the close proximity allows for flexible and last-minute changes.  Some of the actors have their costumes altered and fitted up to the day before production.  Some of this is mentioned in the video.  But mostly, Arnold Levine speaks about his millinery career in the New York City Garment Center and what this has meant for him.