Elder Participants (Winter/Spring 2021)
We are workers, advocates, academics, organizers and business owners from the apparel and manufacturing industry in Los Angeles.
Nikki L.
Elder Participant
Nikki was born in South Korea, but immigrated to Miami in 1985, where she grew up, eventually moving to Southern California in 2002. In college, Nikki studied fashion, and came to enter the garment business through her family’s business in Miami and Los Angeles. Nikki has been working in the garment district for over 25 years, and is currently a clothing shop manager. She has a daughter, who is now attending college at UCLA.
nikki’s story →
Ofelia Z.
Elder Participant
Ofelia was born in Puebla, Mexico. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1991 to join her father, and has been living in Los Angeles for over 17 years. She currently lives in Boyle Heights with her husband, daughter, and several other family members. She started working in the garment industry through a connection made by her aunt, and was a threader at a factory in downtown Los Angeles for around three years. She is currently working at McDonald’s as a cleaner and cook.
ofelia’s story →
Petra H.
Elder Participant
Petra was born in Guerrero, Mexico. She used to work as a seamstress in the garment industry in downtown Los Angeles, before which she was a caregiver for young children. She has over 17 years of experience in the garment industry. She is involved with the Garment Workers Center, speaking to other workers about their right to fair wages and workers compensation for repetitive stress injuries. She lives in Los Angeles with her two daughters.
Petra’s story →
Jamie K.
Elder Participant
Jamie was born in Seoul, but immigrated to Los Angeles when she was around eight years old. She has been living in Los Angeles for over 30 years. Jamie works in the garment industry as part of her family’s business, importing fabrics and garments from large manufacturing companies overseas. During the pandemic, Jamie has worked at a nursery and cultivated her love of plants.
jamie’s story →
Luz H.
Elder Participant
Luz was born in Veracruz, Mexico. In Mexico, she spent 18 years working as an elementary school teacher. Luz eventually immigrated to the U.S. in 2003, and has been living in Koreatown for 18 years. She began first working in the garment industry as a cashier, then later a machine operator. She is the mother of three daughters and three grandchildren, and is an active member of various community-based service and empowerment organizations in Koreatown.
luz's story →
Jung Koo K.
Elder Participant
Jung Koo was born in the Gyeongsang Province, Korea and immigrated to Texas in 1975. In 1976, he moved to Los Angeles’ Koreatown with his wife and three children. Jung Koo’s first job in L.A. was at a sewing factory in the Garment District, and he later managed his own clothing store for around seven years. Jung Koo was twice-elected as the president of the Korean Seniors Association. He was the inaugural president of Los Angeles’ March 3rd movement organization, and was a board member of the Korean American Council.
jung koo’s story →
Kimmy
Elder Participant
Kimmy was born and raised in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, where her parents were farmers. At 12 years old, she immigrated to the United States. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree in San Francisco, after which she began work as a graphic designer in the garment industry. She currently lives in Koreatown and works in Downtown Los Angeles, doing screen-printing work in the Los Angeles Garment District. During the pandemic, Kimmy worked on designing and creating PPE for the community. She is the mother of a 13 year old son.
Kimmy’s story →
Lizbet C.
Community Participant
Lizbet is a case manager with the Garment Worker Center. She grew up in Los Angeles, as the daughter of two garment workers. Lizbet is involved in running the wage clinic, a space where workers can speak about wage and workplace-related issues. She assists workers in educating them about their rights and filing wage claims at the Labor Commissioner’s office. Lizbeth has been working at the Garment Worker Center for over three years, first starting off as an administrative assistant. She has also been involved in a variety of brand campaigns, including a campaign to eliminate piece-rate compensation at Ross and SB62 (also known as the Garment Worker Protection Act) which was signed by Governor Newsom on September 27, 2021. which banned piece rate pay.
lizbet'S story →
Rachel G.
Community Participant
Rachel G. works in the garment industry as a senior buyer, responsible for purchasing goods for use in the company. She has extensive experience in the fast fashion industry, having worked in the space for over 10 years, first at Forever 21 and throughout downtown Los Angeles. During her professional experience, she has been exposed to the rise and fall of many trends as well as the shifting racial dynamics and increased environmental awareness in the industry.
Rachel’s story →