Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags

Historians and social commentators elaborate on the history of New York City’s Garment District in a documentary premiering on HBO Monday night.

The documentary Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags (“schmatta,” by the way, is Yiddish for “rags”) traces the simultaneous growth of both the Garment District and the population of Jewish immigrants who helped make it what it is today.  In a time where “fashion” and “clothing” seem merely like mass-produced consumerist privileges far-removed from ourselves, it’s refreshing to remember that the fashion industry had humble beginnings, just like everyone else.

Read the full story {The Jerusalem Post}