NYC Fashion Factory Tour: Create Custom Souvenir
4.6
12 Ratings
New York
Experience the hidden world of the NYC fashion industry on a factory tour at Fashion Dongen. Customize your own souvenir with industrial machine embroidery and learn from the creators of clothing and theater costumes.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • 1430 Broadway - Have you seen a Factory before, now is your chance! Come visit the hidden NYC garment center you will visit factories that you will never expect their locations come meet the creators of clothing and theater costumes as well as embellishments and embroideries. Samanta will teach you the steps of the creations of industrial machine embroidery as well as help you thru the process of customizing your own NYC souvenir by selecting embroidered/embellished templates you can personalize your item and select your color combinations for your take away.
What's Included
  • Choice of Tote bag or Tee Shirt for customized design
What's Not Included
  • use of the machines
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Lunch
  • Breakfast
Additional Information

Witness the transformation of New York City’s Garment District, where buildings have evolved to accommodate manufacturers in unexpected locations. One such setting is what we fondly refer to as ‘Fashion Dongen’, a secure complex nestled in the heart of Midtown on Broadway, just a few blocks from Times Square. Fashion Dongen houses two clothing manufacturers, along with an embroidery and embellishment factory where distinctive items are customized. Join us on this special tour of NYC’s hidden fashion circle, where you’ll uncover discreetly located factories, meet the masterminds behind clothing and theater costumes, and explore the fascinating world of embellishments and embroideries. Samanta, our expert, will guide you through the steps of industrial machine embroidery, assisting you in customizing a souvenir from NYC by picking from a variety of embroidered and embellished templates. You can also choose the color combination for your keepsake.

Location
551 Fashion Ave
Fashion Avenue
Meet at the needle threading button and the sewing man Manhattan, New York
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(12 Ratings)
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Lindsey_s
Jul 8, 2023
Memorable and wonderful - My tour with Samanta was wonderful and I had an amazing time. This was the most personable tour catered to my interests of what I wanted to learn about fashion. Samanta shared so much knowledge and was an incredible host/guide. As someone who is fascinated by fashion and how things work behind the scenes, I loved every part of this tour. Designing my embroidered tote is a forever keepsake I will cherish. I’m so happy I booked this tour and would highly recommend it.
Review provided by Viator
Gail_v
May 31, 2023
Fun for a fashionista granddaughter - My granddaughter loved the tour and really loved designing her tote bag. She was very happy with her keepsake!
Review provided by Viator
Ruth_q
Apr 12, 2023
Very enjoyable and informative! - Our guide was engaging and informative. She showed our 14 year old and us many samples of fabric and then photos of the final designer dresses that had been created. We all enjoyed ourselves throughout the tour. It was fun to design the bags and t-shirt.
Review provided by Viator
Mike_c
Mar 27, 2023
Amazing insights based on real industry experience - My son is a senior apparel design student and he wanted to learn more about the “real” apparel/fashion industry from a long time professional. We booked the tour with Samanta not completely sure what he would learn but we signed up. We met Samanta at the Sewing Man statue in the garment district right on time and we were excited that we were the only people in the tour that day. We introduced ourselves and explained our son’s goal to understand the industry better as he prepares to start his career. Sam understood our goal and adjusted the tour to help us get the most out of it. She showed us a full embroidery factory and explained how the industry has changed in the last 3-5 years. She was able to speak the same language with my son and show him how sketches are brought to samples and discussed how those samples get mass produced. We visited a couple of specialty shops to understand how you source some of the items to produce a sample piece. We visited a patterns, samples, grading and marking shop and talked with the owner and his team which was amazing. They were so welcoming to us and provided some really great insights. Sam’s 25+ years of experience was so valuable in helping my son get real answers to questions that you can’t learn in a classroom. We ended the tour in a huge, 3 story fabric provider where we talked about fabric sourcing and great ideas for collaboration with large brands. We really valued our time with Samanta and the insights she shared with us. She adapted the tour to provide the most value to my son which was tremendous. In looking back I wish we would have communicated our goal for the tour earlier as I think Sam would have been able to set up even more sites and have more information for us. That said, even with short notice Sam was able to deliver a great tour that really helped my son get some real world apparel industry knowledge. I would highly recommend taking a tour with Samanta if you are an apparel/fashion student looking for insights into the REAL industry.
Review provided by Viator
Wendy_r
Mar 16, 2023
A peek into the fashion world - Loved getting to talk to someone that is part of the industry.... it opened my eyes to how BIG the industry is. Really a niche tour that I enjoyed (and we loved our souvenir!) Our tour guide was fantastic and answered so many of our questions. Would highly recommend for any one interested in thr fashion industry.
Review provided by Viator
Katie_c
Dec 10, 2022
Great tour - Great time! So informative and interesting. Samanta even waited for us patiently when we went to the wrong location! She was a wonderful guide!
Review provided by Viator
Jeanette_j
May 21, 2022
A true inside look at the garment district - Samanta gave us a tour and shared locations of all the best fabric and trim shops…which we loved! She was very patient when we were designing our totes. She has a fun personality and clearly knows her business. We highly recommend her!
Review provided by Viator
Lauren_f
Feb 26, 2022
History and hands-on experience - Samantha was so knowledgeable about fashion. She taught me a lot about the history what's currently happening in the industry and how she's contributed to it. The hands-on aspect was a lot of fun as well. Highly recommend this tour
Review provided by Viator
Marilyn_b
Oct 30, 2021
Fabric Embroidery Delight! - We had a grand time learning about the garment industry and embroidery techniques on a variety of fabrics and learning about design
Review provided by Viator
Paul_s
Dec 1, 2022
Bad - The host was a no show Left us standing at the meeting place with no one to call We are disappointed
Review provided by Viator
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up to 5 guests
1 Adult
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