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LA garment workers push Olympics organizers to keep manufacturing local and ethical
A group gathered at the Garment Worker Center to ask LA28 and the city to commit to working with the local industry for Olympics and city apparel contracts.
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Libby Rainey
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LAist
)
A group representing garment workers in Los Angeles is asking Olympic organizing committee LA28 to invest in the local garment industry, as it prepares to spend on contracts for apparel and linens for the 2028 Games.
The Garment Worker Center launched its “Wear LA” campaign Thursday at its office, which sits south of the Fashion District, where thousands of workers labor daily in the city’s garment factories, and east of the Coliseum, one of the main sites for Olympic and Paralympic competition.
“In the past, contracts have gone almost exclusively to giant multinational brands,” said Marissa Nuncio, executive director of the workers center, referencing past mega-events in Los Angeles. “It's overdue to start sharing these contracts with the businesses that make up the fabric of L.A.”
LA28 already has a raft of high-profile corporate deals, including with Skims, Ralph Lauren and Nike to produce Olympics apparel, but it is planning to purchase sheets, sports uniforms and towels starting next year, according to its procurement plans. LAist reached out to LA28 for comment, but did not hear back ahead of publication.
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Olympics organizers will spend billions on goods and services during the Games, and have set a target of 75% local procurement, defining local as anywhere within Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The Garment Worker Center is the latest group to ask LA28 to tighten that definition by restricting apparel manufacturing to the city of Los Angeles. L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson is pushing a motion at City Hall asking Olympics organizers to commit to giving some contracts to businesses in the city specifically.
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LA28 has not budged on its procurement plans. A spokesperson for the organizing committee responded to a request for comment by pointing to its “Made for Two Eight” program which allows businesses to apply to use the LA28 emblem on locally-made products.
The center also wants LA28 to commit to sourcing goods from manufacturers that pay $25 an hour and have no outstanding wage claims. Wage theft is rampant in the garment industry.
The new campaign also takes aim at the city of Los Angeles, asking city leaders to establish a position within the Community Investment Department focused on the garment industry and develop a “Made in LA” program to give city apparel contracts to local ethical manufacturers. L.A. County is currently working on developing a similar pilot program, and the Garment Worker Center is asking the city to follow suit.
Updated October 29, 2026 at 3:38 PM PDT
The current version of this story includes LA28's response to LAist's request for comment.
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