When Daejae Kim arrived in Los Angeles three decades ago, he took his first step into the apparel business in downtown’s fashion district, where a budding Korean entrepreneurial community was beginning to take hold.
His wife got a job as a store clerk. He peddled textiles. Eventually, they built their own wholesale and manufacturing business selling trendy women’s clothing.
Today, Korean businesses represent at least a third — and possibly half — of the businesses in the garment district, generating at least $10 billion in annual revenues and providing 20,000 jobs, according to the Korean American Apparel Manufacturers Assn.
And now Kim and other Korean American clothing makers are eyeing a new frontier.
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