L.A. Lands Commerce Department Funds
California apparel exporters have received more than $1.2 million in grant monies earmarked for the promotion of exporting California apparel lines.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded nearly $400,000 in financial assistance to the World Trade Center Association (WTCA), Los Angeles-Long Beach to help promote apparel exporting. Other grants and matching funds bring the total to the aforementioned figure of more than $1.2 million, according to the California Fashion Association (CFA), which helped to secure the Commerce Department grant.
The CFA will provide targeted outreach within the apparel industry regarding the Commerce Department funds. Apparel firms will receive export counseling, trade-show identification, identification of foreign buyers and “how-to” guides. Exporters will also have access to competitive credit terms as part of the WTCA’s buyer credit support program.
The apparel industry employs more than 170,000 people, but only 15 percent of apparel firms are exporting their products, according to Ilse Metchek, executive director of CFA and LA By Design.
“With this program, we will provide resources and technical expertise directly to [the] apparel companies,” she said.
