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 understand 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 and manufacturing industry. We learned about the history of the Garment District in Los Angeles through workshops and interviews with the many Korean American and Latinx workers who live 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 ultra-fast fashion.

Meet Our Youth

KSP Winter/Spring 2021 Elder Participants

We interviewed the workers, managers and business owners—colloquially known as “jobbers”—in the apparel and manufacturing industry of Los Angeles. 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 looks at 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 three TeenTastic Tuesday workshops: Zine Making, George Takei’s They Call Us Enemy discussion/ oral history interview with Japanese American incarceree June Berk, and an oral history workshop/zine tribute culmination.

  • 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. KSP partners Las Fotos Project gave tips and tricks on community photo essays, filters and composition.