Columbia University Asks Fashion Designers to “Check In” to the Garment District

We talk a lot about digital media and social networking for the fashion industry. It most often has a focus on how to promote your brand and connect with your customer. But what about using these amazing digital technology tools to research a topic that goes beyond getting to know your label’s demographic or seeign who’s chatting about what.

Check in Fashion

Recently we heard about a study that is under way called Check in Fashion by Columbia University.  It’s been created in order to look for data on the ways in which emerging (and established we imagine) designers are using the garment district to conduct their business.

By utilizing the mobile app FourSquare as you travel around the city tackling your work load and getting your fash-stuff done.

New york Fashion Study

Here’s what it’s all about:

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As many of you know there have been many questions over how proximity matters to the fashion industry. There is a new Columbia University study which is trying to understand just that, and they need your help.

In this innovative new study the Columbia university team is asking fashion designer, workers, and interns to perform a spatial survey of how they use fashion related business. We believe that their spatial patterns will show how proximity matters to the industry.

In order to perform the survey participants in the study will use anonymously generated FourSquare accounts (that means you can’t be tracked) to “CHECK-IN” to fashion related locations. These “CHECK-INS” will allow us to see how and where fashion industry workers use the fashion related business, and perhaps, show a clustering of these businesses in the Garment District.

The Columbia University team is looking for participants from all sectors of the fashion industry. They need your help. They are particularity interested in emerging designers.

If you’re interested in participating you can sign up here

Nicole Giordano

Nicole is the founder of StartUp FASHION, an online resource and community supporting for independent designers around the world with building their businesses. A deep love for the craft of fashion paired with an adamant belief that success is defined by the individual, led her to found StartUp FASHION, where she helps independent designers and makers screw the traditional fashion business rules, create their own paths, and build businesses they truly love. More than anything else, she’s in the business of encouragement and works every day to remind makers and designers that they have something special to offer the world and that they can, in fact, do this thing!