Sew & Grow: Food Equity for Garment Workers

Income inequality

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Los Angeles is home to the largest garment sector in the U.S., employing approximately 35,000 individuals. This workforce, mainly immigrant men and women predominantly from Latino, Indigenous, and Asian communities, continue to face sweat-shop conditions and systematic exploitation due to unethical business practices. The term “sustainable fashion” often focuses on describing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of clothes production. However, there is an urgent need to uplift worker protections in this dialogue, highlighting the hunger and health inequities experienced by the labor force producing the clothes. While organizing to demand labor protections, garment workers suffer profound economic impacts exacerbated by wage theft and discrimination, leading to housing instability and food insecurity. It is crucial to expand on the efforts and progress made in the area of “sustainability” to include this significant yet marginalized workforce in Los Angeles.

Garment workers are actively engaged in organizing across four regions in LA County to demand worker protections that directly impact their quality of life. Through our deeply embedded relationships within the community we’ve learned that food insecurity, stress, & diet-related illnesses are prevalent. Many workers managing these chronic issues are also affected by ageism & discrimination in the workplace, leaving them more vulnerable to unemployment & poverty. These unethical business practices are common due to fast-fashion production quotas. The search for employment can last months.
As a response to these health inequities resulting from income inequality, we aim to scale up our food pantry with the purchase of a commercial fridge to provide fresh produce and perishable items in our bi-weekly food distributions. Our goal is to increase our capacity for donations from food bank partners, and include items such as produce, dairy, poultry and eggs for workers to easily access. The pantry will also include basic essentials such as hygiene items and cleaning supplies. Additionally, we aim to expand our wellness programming for the garment worker community to include educational workshops on sustainable agriculture. Topics would explore: how & when to plant seeds, how to grow herbs, fruits, & vegetables, and how to compost & recycle food waste. The result would be a community garden at GWC’s Justice Campus, strengthening local food systems within the garment worker community.

The GWC envisions a justice & community-care approach to local organizing. No other organization in LA specifically addresses the needs of this marginalized workforce. Poor physical & mental health outcomes for thousands of LA residents require dynamic approaches to advocate for systemic solutions that eliminate poverty.
Our approach to organizing aligns with the three pillars of sustainability– economic, equity, & environment – to address systemic inequities. Alongside advocating for improved labor protections and just wages, initiatives that elevate workers’ emotional well-being are essential for long-term impact. Providing food & mental health resources is equally as important as community-led advocacy that connect economic, health, and nutritional inequities to root causes.
By making these connections, this project will lead to a deeper analysis within the garment worker community to redefine “Sustainability in Clothing,” grounding us in a brighter vision for garment workers in LA.

In 2022, the GWC piloted 8 emotional wellness workshops for garment workers. This initiative raised awareness about mental health resources & gathered community-input on the socioeconomic impacts of income inequality on mental health.The positive response to this programming led to the creation of a worker-led mutual aid group, which implemented community-based solutions to address the social, health, and nutritional needs of garment workers impacted by unemployment. Their first project was a monthly food distribution. Today, our food distributions are bi-weekly and reach approximately 80 families across Los Angeles. Through our relationships and presence within the community, we also identify workers who are facing housing instability and food insecurity. Member Support Coordinators refer workers to housing resources, tenants’ rights organizers, legal and social service providers. Over the last year, we referred approximately 468 cases, with 25.6% related to food and housing.