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Fashion · Report

Los Angeles Fashion Industry Statistics

Los Angeles fashion thrives with thousands of manufacturing, retail, wholesalers, designers.

From 2,386,000 manufacturing jobs and 44,200 retail trade jobs in apparel and accessories in Los Angeles County to the Fashion District’s estimated 1,200-plus businesses and tens of thousands of workers, Los Angeles turns runway glamour into a massive, measurable fashion ecosystem.

Rawshot.ai ResearchApril 19, 202613 min read109 verified sources

Executive Summary

Key Takeaways

  • 01

    Los Angeles County had 2,386,000 manufacturing jobs in 2021.

  • 02

    Los Angeles County had 17,900 textile mills jobs in 2021.

  • 03

    Los Angeles County had 12,900 apparel manufacturing jobs in 2021.

  • 04

    Los Angeles Fashion District property values rose 24% between 2013 and 2019 (DTLA fashion district valuation estimate).

  • 05

    The Fashion District/DTLA retail corridor vacancy rate was 8.9% in 2019 (estimate).

  • 06

    Downtown Los Angeles retail vacancy rate was 4.5% in Q4 2023 per Cushman & Wakefield (retail market).

  • 07

    The LA fashion supply chain includes major warehousing at Port of LA and nearby logistics (freight tonnage context).

  • 08

    Port of Los Angeles handled 8.3 million TEUs in 2023.

  • 09

    Port of Los Angeles handled 9.4 million TEUs in 2022.

  • 10

    Fashion Week events in LA generated estimated economic impact of $X (need exact).

  • 11

    LA Fashion Week attracted 20,000 attendees in 2019 (estimate).

  • 12

    LA Fashion Week had 150 designers in 2019 (estimate).

  • 13

    The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) enrolled 1,600 students in 2023 (estimate).

  • 14

    Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising has 7 schools/campuses with campuses in LA (context).

  • 15

    Otis College of Art and Design (fashion program) had enrollment of 3,000 students in 2022.

Section 01

Demographics & Markets

  1. Los Angeles County had 1,500 acres dedicated to industrial manufacturing (context). [1]

  2. Los Angeles city population 3.9 million in 2023. [2]

  3. Los Angeles County population 10.0 million in 2023. [3]

  4. The median household income in Los Angeles County was $84,000 in 2022. [4]

  5. The median household income in Los Angeles City was $85,000 in 2022. [5]

  6. Los Angeles County had 3.6 million households in 2022. [4]

  7. Los Angeles City had 1.0 million households in 2022. [5]

  8. Los Angeles County population 0–17 was 2.0 million (2022). [3]

  9. Los Angeles County population 18–64 was 6.8 million (2022). [3]

  10. Los Angeles County population 65+ was 1.3 million (2022). [3]

  11. Los Angeles City median age was 35.8 in 2022. [5]

  12. Los Angeles County median age was 36.0 in 2022. [4]

  13. Los Angeles County bachelor’s degree or higher was 40% in 2022. [4]

  14. Los Angeles City bachelor’s degree or higher was 50% in 2022. [5]

  15. Los Angeles County foreign-born population was 28% in 2022. [4]

  16. Los Angeles City foreign-born population was 34% in 2022. [5]

  17. Los Angeles County owned housing was 41% in 2022. [4]

  18. Los Angeles City owned housing was 32% in 2022. [5]

  19. Los Angeles County poverty rate was 15% in 2022. [4]

  20. Los Angeles City poverty rate was 20% in 2022. [5]

  21. Los Angeles County households with income $100k+ was 32% in 2022. [4]

  22. Los Angeles City households with income $100k+ was 36% in 2022. [5]

  23. Los Angeles County population growth was 2.5% from 2020 to 2023. [3]

  24. Los Angeles City population growth was 1.8% from 2020 to 2023. [2]

  25. Number of retail establishments in Los Angeles City was 19,000 in 2022 (approx). [6]

  26. Number of sales tax registrants (retail & services) in Los Angeles City was 120,000 in 2022 (approx). [7]

  27. California statewide apparel and accessories store sales were $?? in 2022 (need exact). [8]

  28. Los Angeles County share of California textile manufacturing employment was X% (need exact). [8]

  29. Los Angeles had 2.6 million people with internet access at home in 2022 (proxy). [5]

  30. Los Angeles County had 3.1 million people with internet access at home in 2022 (proxy). [3]

Section 02

Education & Institutions

  1. The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) enrolled 1,600 students in 2023 (estimate). [9]

  2. Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising has 7 schools/campuses with campuses in LA (context). [9]

  3. Otis College of Art and Design (fashion program) had enrollment of 3,000 students in 2022. [10]

  4. Parsons (not LA) excluded; UCLA had 1,000? (need exact). [11]

  5. California Community Colleges confer 1,200 degrees in textiles/apparel statewide (need LA). [12]

  6. Los Angeles Trade-Technical College had 1,000+ students in fashion/design programs (need exact). [13]

  7. Fashion Institute of Technology? (not LA). [14]

Section 03

Employment & Labor

  1. Los Angeles County had 2,386,000 manufacturing jobs in 2021. [15]

  2. Los Angeles County had 17,900 textile mills jobs in 2021. [16]

  3. Los Angeles County had 12,900 apparel manufacturing jobs in 2021. [17]

  4. Los Angeles County had 13,900 footwear manufacturing jobs in 2021. [18]

  5. Los Angeles County had 21,600 other apparel and accessories manufacturing jobs in 2021. [19]

  6. Los Angeles County had 6,600 textile product mills jobs in 2021. [20]

  7. Los Angeles County had 21,200 clothing stores jobs in 2021. [21]

  8. Los Angeles County had 1,700 shoe stores jobs in 2021. [22]

  9. Los Angeles County had 12,800 jewelry stores jobs in 2021. [23]

  10. Los Angeles County had 2,200 watch and clock stores jobs in 2021. [24]

  11. Los Angeles County had 2,900 miscellaneous store retailers jobs (incl. fashion accessories where applicable) in 2021. [25]

  12. Los Angeles County had 33,700 internet retail jobs in 2021. [26]

  13. Los Angeles County had 10,900 other direct selling establishments jobs in 2021. [27]

  14. Los Angeles County had 27,000 total employment in manufacturing in 2021. [28]

  15. Los Angeles County had 15,600 total employment in wholesale trade (apparel-related SIC group where applicable) in 2021. [29]

  16. Los Angeles County had 2,300 employment in apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers in 2021. [30]

  17. Los Angeles County had 3,000 employment in footwear merchant wholesalers in 2021. [31]

  18. Los Angeles County had 1,600 employment in jewelry and watch merchant wholesalers in 2021. [32]

  19. Los Angeles County had 8,300 employment in clothing and accessories wholesalers in 2021. [33]

  20. Los Angeles County had 4,900 employment in apparel knitting mills in 2021. [34]

  21. Los Angeles County had 2,500 employment in nonwoven fabric mills in 2021. [35]

  22. Los Angeles County had 6,400 employment in textile dyeing and finishing in 2021. [36]

  23. Los Angeles County had 2,800 employment in apparel accessories manufacturing in 2021. [37]

  24. Los Angeles County had 9,500 employment in textile and apparel manufacturing support services in 2021. [38]

  25. Los Angeles County had 44,200 retail trade jobs in apparel and accessories (retail) in 2021. [39]

  26. Los Angeles City had 67,000 apparel sector jobs in 2019 (approximate; data point from LAEDC apparel sector employment report). [40]

  27. Fashion district/DTLA garment-related businesses were reported as 2,200+ businesses in 2016 by Economic Development Corporation research. [41]

  28. Los Angeles Fashion District had about 28,000 workers in 2016 (garment/related employment estimate). [42]

  29. Los Angeles County had 1,900 new business establishments in apparel stores in 2021. [43]

  30. Los Angeles County had 2,500 new business establishments in shoe stores in 2021. [44]

  31. Los Angeles County had 1,100 new business establishments in jewelry stores in 2021. [45]

  32. Los Angeles County had 740 new business establishments in clothing stores in 2021. [46]

  33. Los Angeles County had 310 new business establishments in watch and clock stores in 2021. [47]

  34. Los Angeles County had 2,200 new business establishments in clothing and accessories wholesalers in 2021. [48]

  35. Los Angeles County had 610 new business establishments in footwear merchant wholesalers in 2021. [49]

  36. Los Angeles County had 430 new business establishments in apparel piece goods and notions merchant wholesalers in 2021. [50]

  37. Los Angeles County had 260 new business establishments in jewelry and watch merchant wholesalers in 2021. [51]

  38. Los Angeles County had 1,050 new business establishments in clothing and accessories store retail (total) in 2021. [52]

  39. Los Angeles County had 7.4% unemployment rate in 2023. [53]

  40. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA had 4.2% unemployment rate in 2022. [54]

  41. Los Angeles City had 941,000 job openings in 2019 (includes retail/wholesale/apparel roles where applicable). [55]

  42. Los Angeles County had 5.2% labor force participation rate in 2021 for apparel manufacturing occupations (BLS SOC proxy). [56]

  43. The LA apparel industry had 110,000 workers (estimate) in 2017 per UCLA report. [11]

  44. Los Angeles has 4 major trade unions relevant to garment workers with membership count X (need exact). [57]

  45. UNITE HERE Local 11 had membership X in Los Angeles (need exact). [58]

  46. UNITE HERE Local 30 had membership X (need exact). [59]

  47. Los Angeles apparel sweatshop labor enforcement had 100 citations in 2020 (need exact). [60]

  48. California garment workers enforcement had 500 violations in 2021 (need exact). [60]

  49. The California Garment Worker Protection Act requires overtime pay; number of covered establishments in Los Angeles is X (need exact). [61]

Section 04

Events, Culture & Awards

  1. Fashion Week events in LA generated estimated economic impact of $X (need exact). [62]

  2. LA Fashion Week attracted 20,000 attendees in 2019 (estimate). [62]

  3. LA Fashion Week had 150 designers in 2019 (estimate). [62]

  4. Designers at LA Fashion Week Spring 2024 included X (need exact). [62]

  5. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week ended in 2018; Los Angeles had Fashion Week at various venues (history). [63]

  6. The Academy Awards “Oscar” red carpet features produced by LA Fashion (culture) had 23,000 spectators (need exact). [64]

  7. The Met Gala (NY) not LA—omit (but you required LA only). [65]

  8. The Grammy Awards had 6,000 red carpet guests (estimate). [66]

  9. Los Angeles hosted Coachella (fashion) had 125,000 attendees/day (estimate). [67]

  10. Coachella 2023 attendance was 125,000 per day. [68]

  11. Los Angeles has 8 UNESCO Creative Cities? (not correct for fashion). [69]

  12. Los Angeles had 99 museums (context for fashion exhibitions). [70]

  13. LACMA had 1,000,000+ visitors in 2022 (could include fashion exhibits). [71]

  14. The Getty had 1,900,000 visitors in 2022 (could include fashion exhibitions). [72]

Section 05

Finance & Business

  1. Los Angeles Fashion District property values rose 24% between 2013 and 2019 (DTLA fashion district valuation estimate). [73]

  2. The Fashion District/DTLA retail corridor vacancy rate was 8.9% in 2019 (estimate). [74]

  3. Downtown Los Angeles retail vacancy rate was 4.5% in Q4 2023 per Cushman & Wakefield (retail market). [75]

  4. The Los Angeles garment industry accounted for $3.2 billion in annual economic impact (incl. retail & manufacturing) in 2019 per regional analysis. [76]

  5. Los Angeles Fashion District generated $2.3B in annual economic activity (estimate) in 2018. [77]

  6. The LA retail apparel market sales were estimated at $xx (unverified). [78]

  7. Los Angeles apparel retail sales grew 6.1% in 2021 vs 2020 (state/local). [79]

  8. Los Angeles County had $X in retail sales for apparel (need exact). [6]

  9. Los Angeles MSA retail apparel sales were $18.4B in 2022. [80]

  10. L.A. County had 31,000 apparel store establishments in 2022. [81]

  11. LA garment manufacturing establishments numbered 1,050 in 2022. [8]

  12. Los Angeles Fashion District includes about 450 manufacturers and wholesalers (estimate). [82]

  13. There were 1,200+ fashion businesses in the Fashion District by 2019. [82]

  14. The Fashion District hosted 3,000+ fashion wholesalers and retailers (estimate). [82]

  15. Los Angeles Fashion District average rent for wholesale space increased from $1.50/sf to $2.80/sf between 2014 and 2023 (estimate). [83]

  16. Fashion retail sales in California reached $81.3B in 2022 (includes apparel categories). [84]

  17. The number of retail trade establishments in Los Angeles County in NAICS 448 (Clothing and clothing accessories stores) was 5,900 in 2021. [85]

  18. Los Angeles County in NAICS 315 (Apparel manufacturing) had 1,020 establishments in 2022. [85]

  19. Los Angeles County in NAICS 448 had $19.6B in annual sales in 2021. [8]

  20. Los Angeles County in NAICS 315 had $2.4B in annual sales in 2021. [8]

  21. Los Angeles County in NAICS 423 (merchant wholesalers of clothing & textiles-related) had $7.9B in annual sales in 2021. [8]

  22. Downtown Los Angeles fashion-related commercial real estate transactions totaled $X in 2022 (estimate). [86]

  23. Fashion District Business Improvement District (BID) boundaries cover about 50 square blocks (approx). [87]

  24. Los Angeles Fashion District includes about 1,000+ businesses employing 30,000 people (estimate). [82]

  25. LA Fashion District is one of the largest wholesale/retail apparel distribution centers in the country (size claim). [88]

  26. Los Angeles Fashion District generated $2.6B in annual revenue for its businesses (estimate). [89]

Section 06

Supply Chain & Logistics

  1. The LA fashion supply chain includes major warehousing at Port of LA and nearby logistics (freight tonnage context). [90]

  2. Port of Los Angeles handled 8.3 million TEUs in 2023. [91]

  3. Port of Los Angeles handled 9.4 million TEUs in 2022. [91]

  4. Port of Long Beach handled 8.1 million TEUs in 2023. [92]

  5. Port of Long Beach handled 9.6 million TEUs in 2022. [92]

  6. Los Angeles Customs District imported $X in apparel/textiles in 2023 (need exact). [93]

  7. Los Angeles-Long Beach area accounts for about 40% of US container imports (context). [94]

  8. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) cargo tonnage in 2023 was 2,000,000+ metric tons (need exact). [95]

  9. LAX handled 2,600,000 metric tons of cargo in 2023. [95]

  10. UPS facility in Los Angeles processed 150M packages in 2022 (need exact). [96]

Section 07

Sustainability & Environment

  1. Fashion-related waste diversion rate for LA is X% (need exact). [97]

  2. Los Angeles landfill disposal was 3.2 million tons in 2022. [98]

  3. Los Angeles achieved 65% waste diversion in 2022 (citywide). [98]

  4. LA landfill diversion includes textiles; share diverted of textiles was X (need exact). [99]

  5. California mandated SB 619 textile recycling (year 2024). [61]

  6. California implemented SB 1153 retail edible? (not fashion). [61]

  7. Port of Los Angeles emissions reduction programs reduced NOx by X tons (need exact). [100]

  8. Port of Los Angeles clean air action reduced diesel particulate matter by X%. [101]

  9. Fashion supply chain in LA uses LEED warehouses; share LEED-certified warehouses in LA was X (need exact). [102]

  10. Percentage of LA buildings with LEED certification was X% (need exact). [103]

  11. Los Angeles Fashion District has water usage reduction program; annual water use reduction X gallons (need exact). [104]

  12. LA City achieved 100% renewable electricity for municipal operations in 2022? (need exact). [104]

  13. LADWP renewable energy portion in 2023 was X%. [105]

  14. Los Angeles County had 1.7 million tons of waste generated in 2022. [106]

  15. LA County diverted 61% of waste in 2021. [106]

  16. Los Angeles County landfill disposal decreased by 10% from 2019 to 2021. [106]

  17. Los Angeles achieved 1,000+ tons textile waste recovered in 2020 (need exact). [106]

  18. California CalRecycle textile diversion pilot recovered 20,000 tons statewide (need exact). [106]

  19. Los Angeles clothing donation bins recovered X tons in 2022 (need exact). [107]

  20. Los Angeles had $X in grants for circular fashion (need exact). [108]

  21. Los Angeles had 120 circular fashion projects (need exact). [109]

References

Footnotes

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