Jars of angora, cotton and flax at the BF + DA’s “petting zoo” of materials. (Photo: Heidi Harrington-Johnson)

Gone are the mom-and-pop sewing shops that once lined the area between Fifth and Ninth Avenues, from 34th to 42nd Streets in Manhattan. Fashion mongers no longer haul their wares on racks down the street. In fact, there are very few signs that the Garment District — once responsible for producing 95 percent of all the clothing sold in the United States — still exists here at all.
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