Imelda Rodriguez (left), daughter Maria Hernandez, and son Oscar Cerezo work together at Sew Rights Fashion Inc. at 939 S. Broadway. Rodriguez came to Los Angeles from Morelos, Mexico, in 1968. She worked as a sewer, and earned promotions into management before starting her own business in 1980. She and her children have kept their machines running and employees working ever since. Oscar says that Los Angeles fashion designers who remain committed to local production shops have been a great help, citing ABS by Allen Schwartz and Bianca Nero as prime examples. Times are tough, but the folks at Sew Rights Fashion are hopeful that more designers will see the value of maintaining a base of local production in the future (see related story, “Immigrants Carry 1/3 of Economy,” home page).
Local Hero - 05/04/2007
Margarita Zavala, the wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, recently made several stops in the Los Angeles area for e ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/27/2007
Ana Monterrosa (left) and Omar Chavez (right) don’t just like their boss at Pollo Land, a restaurant that specializes in c ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/20/2007
There’s plenty of good food and attractive merchandise on Olvera Street at the El Pueblo Historical Monument, which sits b ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/13/2007
Tony Luna and Mario Garay used to cook their fish back in Mexico. These days the two have developed a taste for raw fish, ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/06/2007
Nola Mott has seen plenty of change over the decades she has lived in the Westlake district west of Downtown—and she knows ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/30/2007
Ammy Reyes (left), Abraham Cabrera (right), and teacher Andrew Stephens (center) are “Purifighters.” That’s the nickname g ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/23/2007
Marcos’ Art Store attracts customers from all over the city with sculptures, paintings, frames and other Greco-Roman piece ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/16/2007
Susan Borden gives a lot of her time and energy to various community activities in the Echo Park District northwest of Dow ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/09/2007
Barnaby Skeen is happy because he’s busy—and he’s got a dream. Skeen says he learned to stay busy in his native Guatemala, ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/02/2007
Stuart Rapeport is a lot of things—native Angeleno, University High School graduate, Cal State Northridge alum, and Depart ... [ Full Story ]
The Los Angeles Garment & Citizen is the community newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods, including the Arts District, Chinatown, Echo Park, Little Tokyo, Pico-Union, Silver Lake and Westlake.The Garment & Citizen reaches more than 20,000 readers weekly, an audience that spans the demographic makeup of the city and serves as the leading edge of statewide and national trends.
