NPR Program Focuses on L.A. Fashion District
National Public Radio station KPCC 89.3 FM shone a spotlight on the ever-changing Los Angeles Fashion District on Dec. 17 in a two-hour live broadcast called “AirTalk,” which took place at the California Market Center.
Subjects discussed included the changing economic dynamics of a district that has gone from a manufacturing hub to a wholesale and retail center. “About 35 years ago, one small street called Santee Alley was a discount alley and that has now grown to the third largest tourist attraction in Los Angeles,” said Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association. Metchek was one of a number of fashion industry experts who were on various panels that discussed California’s apparel industry, sweatshop issues and the problem of combating counterfeit goods. Other panel participants included Kimi Lee, director of the Garment Worker Center; Jimmy Macias, president of the Garment Contractors Association of Southern California; Kent Smith, executive director of the Los Angeles Fashion District; Christopher Thornberg, senior economist at the UCLA Anderson Forecast; and Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
The program was hosted by Larry Mantle, who said the public radio station takes periodic looks at interesting Southern California areas. “We thought that this time of year being the buying season was a good time to look at this area and also because of the size of the apparel industry,” Mantle said. —Deborah Belgum
