Fashionistas Hand Out Ugly Pins

The fight against gentrification is now moving to—you knew it had to happen—Midtown. Members of the coalition “[Save the Garment Center]” are warning that the end of the fashion industry in the city is close at hand and fear that the neighborhood “is slowly but surely becoming just another commercial district.” In an effort to raise awareness among manufacturers and save the neighborhood’s traditional commercial occupants from rising rents and an influx of offices and hotels, [activists have declared today](http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-garment0718,0,4339120.story?coll=am-local-headlines) “Save the Garment Center Pin Day.” Local businesses will be distributing fabric pins with the pin day logo (pictured) for the next 24 hours, so get yours while supplies last. “It’s about saving the community that exists. It’s the backbone of the fashion capital of the world. Without it, the whole thing will come tumbling down,” one impassioned (and perhaps a little dramatic) coalition member told amNewYork. Quite honestly, we expected the pins to be a little more…fashionable; but who doesn’t love a cause you can support with minimal effort and investment? We guess that’s why [this item](http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/18/news/companies/whole_foods/?postversion=2007071808) is getting so much attention.