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Fashion Week Kicked Out Of Public Park At Lincoln Center
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Dec 18, 2014
Modified Dec 18, 2014
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Dec 18, 2014
Modified Dec 18, 2014
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New York Fashion Week, an event I only care about when a Star Wars dress makes an appearance, has been evicted from Lincoln Center after some parks advocates sued to boot it from the venue's Damrosch Park.
Fashion Week first made its spike-heeled way to Lincoln Center in 2010, after it got a bit too big for its previous home in Bryant Park. Though the event spilled over into the public Damrosch Park, the Bloomberg administration struck a deal with Lincoln Center allowing the space to be rented out privately. But the NYC Park Advocates and others argued that the city was permitting Lincoln Center to use the space illegally, and A Walk in the Park reports that earlier this week, a Manhattan judge sided with them. "IMG Fashion Week shall vacate the premises and remove all tents and other Fashion Week equipment from the park," Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chan ruled, according to court papers [pdf].
In addition to taking over the public park space for the event, Lincoln Center reportedly permitted Fashion Week organizers to cut down dozens of trees and razed flower beds to make space. The court ruling requires Lincoln Center to replant the trees and flowers, and bans the venue from renting the park out to large events in the future. "We are thrilled at the current settlement and that the Park will be rebuilt. It can never be the same but it will be wonderful to have the community sharing space together again," Cleo Dana, a plaintiff and Chair of Friends of Damrosch Park, told the blog.
February's Fashion Week will still be held at Lincoln Center, but the event will have to find a new venue for September's edition. Though a permanent Fashion Week home is currently being constructed in Hudson Yards, it won't be ready until 2018, which is only one year before Rick Deckard discovers the Voight-Kampff test doesn't always work.
It's unclear where future Fashion Weeks will house their models and flouncy dresses, but a spokesperson from the International Management Group, which runs Fashion Week, told us in a statement, "Lincoln Center has been a great home for the past 5 years and we look forward to another world-class season this February. However, as the fashion industry continues to evolve, IMG has been actively looking for a new home for NYFW that gives our designers and partners the best possible environment to share their creative visions. We look forward to sharing more details on our new home soon." Don't worry, fashion friends, PETA will find you wherever you are.
Tagged
fashion
fashion week
lincoln center
nyc parks advocates
nyfw
Rebecca Fishbein
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