Looking for a job in LA!

As I mentioned before in my blog I moved from NYC to LA looking to work in the junior side of the industry in fashion, so one of the first things that came to my mind was, What companies are in LA? Well I did some research and it took me a few week to get a full list of these companies. I noticed that La has a lot of very small companies that sell to boutiques and specialty stores. But basically to give an idea of how to search for these companies and learn more of them, I went over the sites like www.stylecareers.com and you can get a few companies enlisted. Also you wouldn't believe me how useful Google Maps has become to me, I basically went and types in search maps apparel manufacturing companies and it will give you a list with full addresses and sometimes sites. I found the following:

*BCBG - the company itself has over 1,500 employees in its building and it in Vernon, LA, close to downtown. Working at this company can be quite a stress if you are not used to this kind of enviorment. Its very fast paste and long hours can be expected to work.

*Forever 21 - I have a ex-coworker that worked there, and I actually interviewed for a position as an assistant designer. The company looks more laid-back and there a lot of young people working there. They seem to have issues paying a decent salary to people with experience, (according to people to used to work there).

*Guess - This company is a great company , it seems more of a company that cares about there employees. The building has a gym for its employees and the facilities are great. I had the opportunity to work freelance there, and it was a nice experience, people are friendly.

*Perry Ellis- there is a division of Perri Ellis that is located in LA and is women's contemporary, can't remember the name, but it was basically sportswear. Don't know much about the company itself but it seems that is adding several divisions for women and they are constantly looking for people.

*Warnaco - Warnaco actually has its main location in NYC, but here in LA I think they just run there swimwear line. The complex is huge and it seems to be hard to get into this company. I never see openings on this company in particular, so what i do is sent my resume directly from there site: www.warnaco.com

*Tommy Bahama- I believe this company is located in Pasadena which is like 15-30 minutes from downtown LA. I have never had an interview with this company, but it seems to pay pretty good (according to an ex-coworker) and you can check in there site that they always have openings.

*American Apparel- This company is a huge 3-4 building complex located near downtown. The company seems to have group interview for design positions, as if you were applying for some of these retail stores in Holidays. My experience was a very quick interview and they are looking for people with cut & sew experience, as you see everything they sell is Cut& Sew. I feel like this company is very laid back to work with.



These are the main huge companies that are located in LA. This does not mean that these are the only ones, most of the other companies are small denim companies. One HUGE advise that I will give to anyone if you plan to work in LA in the fashion industry -mass production -junior side, try to get an internship at a denim company. LA is the main capital of denim industry in the US, most of the companies look for denim knowledge.