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

The neighborhood that makes America’s clothes has been buffeted by ICE raids and post-Covid problems – but leaders say hope is on the horizon

Downtown 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.