Sneak Peek: Bloomberg's Fashion “Incubator”

Remember when Bloomberg announced plans to launch a "Project Runway"-inspired contest to help 12 up-and-coming designers by supplying them with a city-sponsored "incubator"? Well, here's a peek at the space.

Racked tipped us off to the fact that the Architect's Newspaper recently published renderings of the soon-to-be-unveiled space, housed in a former showroom on West 38th Street (right in the heart of the Garment District, as Bloomberg had promised).

The 100,000-square foot space will be managed by the CFDA over the next three years and will feature a dozen studios, a communal kitchen, and a massive shared "boulevard" that the architects apparently hope will encourage the 12 designers in residence to "get together to do things cooperatively, like a fashion show," said Kilment Halsband principal Frances Halsband.  Perhaps most ingenious of all, the layout features movable partitions that can be shifted around to create even more showroom space -- encouraging the designers to take their pieces out into the market place and host appointments with buyers. All things told, very clever: We're eager to see what 12 finalists Bloomberg chooses come December.

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