KSP Winter/Spring 2021

The Garment Industry - “Jobber” Market

KSP explored and examined the Garment District in Los Angeles and the impact that COVID-19 has had on the merchandising and apparel industry. We interviewed many residents of Koreatown — from seamstresses, patternmakers, store managers, and business executives — who work or have worked in this field to gain an understanding of the history, dynamics, and changing landscape of the “jobber” industry.

KSP W/S 2021 Youth Participants

Our second cohort of KSP youth participants came from Koreatown high schools and/or from families who have worked in the apparel or manufacturing industry. We learned about the history of the Garment District in Los Angeles through workshops and interviews with the many Korean American and Latine workers who reside in Koreatown and work downtown. Our students also explored the changing nature of this neighborhood, the global facets of the garment industry, and the widespread environmental and human costs of fast fashion.

Meet Our Youth

KSP Winter/Spring 2021 Elder Participants

We interviewed workers, managers, and business owners, colloquially known as “jobbers,” in the Los Angeles apparel and manufacturing industry. Most of our elder participants live in Koreatown and work downtown in the Garment/Fashion District. We also interviewed members of the Garment Workers Center about workers' rights and workplace conditions — especially during COVID-19 — and learned about some of the health, social, and environmental conditions in this business sector.

Meet our elders

KSP W/S 2021 Highlights

  • Guest Speaker - Christina Moon

    Dr. Moon's research focuses on the social ties and cultural encounters between design worlds and manufacturing landscapes across Asia and the Americas, exploring the memories, migration, and labor of cultural workers. Her most recent project is on the fast fashion industry in the United States.

  • Book-to-Action Grant with LAPL

    KSP partnered with the Felipe de Neve Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library on several TeenTastic Tuesday workshops: a zine-making workshop, a discussion of George Takei’s “They Called Us Enemy,” an oral history interview with Japanese American incarceree June Berk, and a culmination with an oral history workshop/zine tribute.

  • Walking Tour of Garment District with Jamie Kook and Las Fotos Project

    KSP Volunteer Jamie Kook, a longtime Garment District business owner, led KSP youth on a walking tour of Santee Alley and the Fashion District in Los Angeles. KSP partner Las Fotos Project gave tips and tricks on community photo essays, filters, and composition.