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NEW YORK -- Comme des GarCons in the late Nineties pioneered the trend of fashion companies moving their offices and showrooms to the far West Side of Manhattan. Hugo Boss and Club Monaco soon followed. Now, Marithe & Francois Girbaud, Tommy Hilfiger and even staid Tiffany & Co. are making the leap.
Moving their operations closer to New Jersey and farther from Seventh Avenue and other parts of the city seems an unlikely step for a fashion firm, but increasingly, designers are pushing past the traditional boundaries of the Manhattan business district to establish themselves along the Hudson River. Even mainstream companies are seeking the space, light and edge offered by properties like the Starrett-Lehigh building, making the former West Side no man's land one of the hottest fashion neighborhoods.
"People have obviously chosen Starrett-Lehigh more for its aesthetics than for its location," said Jarid Tollin, executive vice president at Newmark Retail. "It's not convenient. But it's extremely cool. It's a hip building to be in."
There's no lack of space within it. The structure at 501 West 26th Street is 2.3 million square feet, covers an entire city block and has its own zip code. Along with 475 Tenth Avenue and 111 Eighth Avenue, it forms a trifecta of funky former industrial buildings commanding the attention of fashion companies.
Besides Comme des Garcons, Hugo Boss and Club Monaco, Starrett-Lehigh is home to Tommy Hilfiger, Tracy Feith...