SoHo Design District Launches in New York City
Design Brands Unite to Create the Premier Destination for World-Renowned Design in SoHo
The SoHo Design District, a neighborhood dedicated to innovative design and architecture brands and experiences, officially launches this association in SoHo during a press event on July 29, 2015 from 5pm-6pm in the Cassina showroom at 151 Wooster St. NYC between West Houston and Prince streets followed by cocktail events at all participating showrooms from 6-8pm.
The SoHo Design District‘s mission is to promote NYC’s SoHo neighborhood as the premier destination for world-renowned design and to preserve SoHo’s unique history as a global center for creativity. Founded in 2015, the SoHo Design District is a non-profit organization and a partnership between the following member brands: Artemide, Blackbody, BluDot, Cappellini, Cassina, Design Within Reach, Flou, Fontana Arte, Foscarini, Fritz Hansen, Gandia Blasco, Ingo Maurer, Luceplan, Modular Lighting Instruments, Moroso, Nanimarquina, Poltrona Frau, Room & Board, Stepevi and USM. Originally formed as a means to discuss common issues including rising rents, these brands have transformed this area into the major shopping locale that it is today. The concentration of top furniture, lighting and home decor stores, as well as other independent design stores, is what attracts architects, designers, design lovers and tourists from all over the world to SoHo.
“For decades, SoHo has been known as an international destination for design, art, culture and architecture. Our partnership facilitates working together to sustain this history and be a larger resource for design professionals, students and enthusiasts alike,” states SoHo Design District president and founding member, Dahlia Latif.
Mirko van den Winkel, Executive Vice President of Moroso USA and founding member says, “SoHo is the neighborhood with the largest concentration of the best in design furniture and lighting brands in America. It’s empowering to have created the SoHo Design District together, enabling the organization of big and small design events throughout the year and a clear map detailing where to shop for the leading design products. The SoHo Design District is a design destination, a source of inspiration and a vehicle to educate on design.”
The founders of SDD are dedicated to keeping SoHo from becoming merely another mall, indistinguishable from any other city or any other suburb. These design showrooms are a resource for top architects and designers from around the world and feature products dating back as far as the 1930’s. With its established history and innovative designs, these brands provide a resource and educational platform for designers, design enthusiasts and design students who often visit these showrooms regularly to tour the collections and collect materials for projects.
Sean Sweeney, Executive Director of the SoHo Alliance stated, “The SoHo Alliance has always maintained that the design showrooms are the natural evolution of the art galleries that first drew world-wide attention to SoHo. Design represents art that we can use. The creative talents of the many designers and architects provide a welcomed cachet to SoHo that the chain and big-box stores do not. We support strongly all efforts by our elected officials to maintain this industry in our neighborhood and we shall strive to do our best at maintaining its presence.”
“There are rules about retail in the Cast Iron District for a reason – it’s a historic district with a unique character that the zoning code appropriately protects,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron. “It’s critical that City Planning ensure the rules are followed and work with the community when considering exemptions. I thank my elected colleagues, the SoHo Design District, Community Board 2, the SoHo Alliance for their continued focus on this issue.”
“SoHo is a neighborhood that has withstood many threats to its character and integrity – whether it is by the hands of misguided urban planning, or by the forces of gentrification. With this latest partnership, SoHo is writing the next chapter in its long history as a center of art, architecture, culture and design. I congratulate the members of the SoHo Design District for their commitment to a bright future for this community,” states NYC Council Member Margaret Chin.
“New York City must strive to maintain the character of its neighborhoods,” said Public Advocate Letitia James. “SoHo has had a storied history as the epicenter of design and we must ensure that it retains this unique personality. I applaud the design and architecture brands of SoHo for uniting as part of the SoHo Design District.”
More information on SoHo Design District can be found at www.SoHodesigndistrict.org.
Contact: info@SoHodesigndistrict.org or 917.410.0377
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SoHodesigndistrict; Instagram:@SoHoDesignDistrict
