Area design firms gathered at the Cassina showroom in Soho on July 29 to officially establish the SoHo Design District. A nonprofit and partnership between member firms–among them Artemide, Blackbody, BluDot, Cappellini, Cassina, Design Within Reach, Flou, Fontana Arte, Foscarini, Fritz Hansen, GandiaBlasco, Ingo Maurer, Luceplan, Modular Lighting Instruments, Moroso, Nanimarquina, Poltrona Frau, Room & Board, Stepevi and USM—the district's mission is to preserve the neighborhood’s history and to promote its viability as a design hub, particularly via marketing initiatives.
The evening's speakers included notables from within and outside the design realm, including Dahlia Latif, president, SoHo Design District; Ed Hogikyan, SVP marketing, NYC & Co; Bo Riccobono, chair, SoHo Retail Task Force, Community Board 2, Manhattan; Daniel Squadron, NY state senator; Letitia James, NYC public advocate; Margaret Chin, NYC council member; Tobi Bergman, chair, Community Board 2, Manhattan; and Yukie Ohta, curator of the SoHo Memory Project.
“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,” said Chin.
The organization will also promote design-centric events; the Short Films Walk, to be held October 7, is next on the calendar. Learn more.
