LA’s storied fashion district in a slump – can the Olympics put it back on its feet?

D owntown Los Angeles’s fashion district, the largest apparel manufacturing hub in the United States, is a neighborhood in freefall. While 83% of clothing cut and sewn in the United States is made here, the district has suffered in recent years as visitation and sales have plummeted. “I went from making $2,000 a day to making now $500, sometimes $700,” said Fernando Carmona, who owns the women’s dress store AP Design by Rocca. He added that rent for his store is $8,250 a month. On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Carmona was hustling. Glittering dresses in red, blue and black lined the walls from ceiling to floor. On the street, foot traffic was a slow trickle. These days, Carmona said he can’t slack off for even a moment, or he might lose precious business. Fernando’s shop is located in the 107-block neighborhood made up of storefronts, showrooms and factories, and is known for its local businesses that sell everything from tailored tuxedos to flower bouquets at cheap prices. Carmona, who opened his store in another location before the pandemic, said foot traffic has never been as bad as it is now. Immigration enforcement raids ordered by the Trump administration last summer have left a scar on workers across the district, who are afraid to go to work. And, he said, sales haven’t bounced back to their pre-pandemic levels. But there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon. …