Around the time this 1955 photo was taken, the vast majority of clothes for sale in the United States was made in the states too.
Specifically, they were made in the square mile south of Midtown long known as the Garment District.
Today, only 5 percent of clothes are made in America. And while you still see factories and showrooms in the Garment District, the narrow, dark streets here compose a ghost town compared to what they were 60 years ago.
At least some faded ads continue to hold their own on former factory buildings.
[Photo: LOC/Al Ravenna]
Ephemeral New York 