NEW YORK—Culture, education, commerce, and entertainment will fill the five boroughs during the inaugural Design Week in May, according to the Design Week website.
The success of Fashion Week inspired City Council Speaker Christine Quinn last year to propose the design week, which kicks off May 10 and will run for 11 days.
“New York City Design Week will be a global event, attracting visitors from around the world and putting our designers right in the spotlight,” said Quinn in her State of the City speech last year. Design Week is an example of how the city can work to “harness the potential of some of New York’s strongest industries,” creating jobs in the process, she added.
“We’ll work with community groups who are already hosting design events, like a group on Staten Island that already holds a digital design event on the North Shore,” Quinn said. “People will head to Bushwick to watch local artisans create custom furniture. Astoria can feature its film and television studios, while Cooper Union highlights the next generation of design genius. The more we market our design industry, the more job opportunities there’ll be for New Yorkers.”
Fashion Week, perhaps the most successful of the handful of weeks dedicated to a certain sector, brings in more than $800 million for the city, and supports a burgeoning field of fashion companies.
Most events and exhibitions will be free during Design Week. Local and global designers and other interested parties can submit ideas or contact organizers via the Design Week website.
