THE LATEST: Koos Manufacturing recently committed $1 million to the L.A. County Response Fund, which will help support community clinics and hospitals across the county scale up capacity, staffing and implementation of Covid-19 testing.



BACKGROUND: Ku came to Los Angeles from Seoul in 1975 with his parents, opening a small clothing factory just three months later. He founded Koos Manufacturing in 1985. The vertically integrated jeans company previously made jeans for the likes of Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Banana Republic, J. Crew and Lucky Brand. Ku created a jeans brand, AG Adriano Goldschmied, in 2000 with the namesake designer, who is also a co-creator of Diesel. Ku purchased the U.S. license for Big Star in 2003 and bought out Goldschmied in 2004. Ku&s son, Samuel, became AG&s creative director in 2008. Koos Manufacturing runs production facilities in South Gate and Aguascalientes, Mexico, and employs more than 2, 000 workers. It also operates 11 AG stores and four outlet stores.



YEARS ON THE LA500: 2