Five days after ending, Fashion Week is still pissing people off. A few Upper West Side residents are complaining that generators have been spewing smoke and fumes into their air, and that a few are still going even after the Fashion Week tents have gone. Amsterdam Avenue resident Ruth James said, "They have these big machines on the side of the street blowing out gas and all of that. And my windows are here and I'm breathing this stuff." And neighbors10023 wrote on Youtube, that video (below) of the generators shows "a stark contrast to what Fashion Week's marketing effort on its supposed commitment to going green."
MyFoxNY reports that as of yesterday evening a few generators are still running. The Mayor's office said in a statement, "The ultra-low sulfur diesel generators at Fashion Week meet federal and citywide emission standards," and Fashion Week producers IMG said that they sent a memo to local residents with a hotline about the generators and they didn't get one complaint. We've contacted the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District about the situation, but residents seem confused as to why these generators are meeting emission standards while cigarettes are still public enemy #1. Perhaps Fashion Week was just trying to remind everyone that surgical masks are totally in vogue.
