Fashion District, Toronto

The Fashion District is a commercial and residential district in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located between the intersection of Bathurst Street to the west, Spadina Avenue to the east, Queen Street West to the north and King Street to the south. Google Maps extends the district further east of Spadina Avenue to Peter Street.HistoryThe district's name is derived from the area's role in the garment industry. In the early 20th century, numerous textile and fabric factories and warehouses were located here due to the proximity and easy access to shipping and rail lines. Garment enterprise owners commissioned the construction of multi-storey buildings to house their manufacturing operations.Once 80% of the city's Jewish community lived in the immediate area resulting in the establishment of numerous Jewish delis, tailors, bookstores, cinemas, Yiddish theatres and synagogues. Many from this community worked in the garment industry.After World War II, much of that Jewish community moved further north, and the factories and warehouses began to be converted into other uses. Since the late 1980s, there has been extensive revitalization the stretch of the Fashion District along Front Street between Spadina Avenue and Bathurst Street with disused railway land being reclaimed for high-end condominium, townhouse and retail development.TodayToday, many former garment warehouses house clothing outlets while others have been refurbished into artists’ studios and galleries, publishers, software and tech design offices and condos and lofts. The area is occupied by a mix of artists, musicians, designers, professionals and students.