The Academy Denim & Tailoring

I love the Academy! Sam is kind, patient, & helpful. He answered all my questions honestly and thoroughly. I even asked him what makes his pants different from Levis, & he was able to answer it!
I’m a teacher so I need pants that are really comfortable & professional. I also have to be very aware of how I dress since my students memorize my outfits and call me out on it. Sam’s pants are perfect for me. So far, I have bought two trousers from there, khaki and dark indigo. I highly recommend the dark indigo pants. They are great for work and casual wear. They can also pass as denim for more casual situations. According to Sam, I can also bike in them as well. The dark indigo pants were $ 90, and the khakis were $ 84. It was definitely worth it! I also brought an H & M blazer from Goodwill for him to tailor. He was really honest, pointed out the discoloring in the blazer, & told me that it wasn’t worth it to tailor it.
I’m looking forward to going back to the Academy again for another pair of pants!
Thanks Sam!

I have shopped here for a few years now. And it’s by far my favorite place to buy clothes. It’s great shopping in a successful local business.
Everything is made right here in Long Beach! Sam is always very helpful! Service is the BEST!!!
I usually hate shopping! Not dislike, but yes HATE shopping. Until I enter and Sam shows me all the new styles of shirts and pants. All the clothes fit my body type perfect!
Also he explains where he bought the fabric and other interesting facts and fun story’s behind the making of the items.
Price point isn’t cheap, but all the shirts and pants and belt are in perfect shape and style still. Where other less expensive cloths that I have bought. Wear out within six months.
So the money is well spent!
All the clothes that I buy at the Academy get the best complements too! My fiancé is always happy when we go out on the town.
Parking is good street parking right out front on 1^st ST. Just bring a few quarters. You gotta feed the meter.

Sam is a godsend. The place is my go-​to now.
I needed a nice casual outfit for a wedding but of course, I waited till the last minute. I consulted with Sam about the deadline and he assured me that a week was plenty of time to make a new custom button shirt, a new belt, a new bowtie and to tailor pants. Not only were they completed in time but I greatly appreciated the text status updates. Thanks again, Sam!

Took a couple pair of Gustin jeans in to get tailored… they did a great job. While I was there looked at a pair of the chinos that he makes. Decided to pick up a pair and so glad I did! By far the most comfortable pair of pants that I own. Have a feeling I will be back after the holidays for another pair.

I’m standing outside store right now and they’re closed there is an associate inside but continues to ignore me I would expect more out of a company even if you decided to close earlier than normal no signs were posted either

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would! I needed pants and a shirt tailored for a wedding I am in. The downside of being a lesbian in a wedding, that needs to match the other man in the wedding party… I had men’s pants and a men’s size small shirt. My pants needed to be tailored at the waist, and my shirt, which was massive on me, needed to be completely deconstructed and put back together.
I put the call out on FB for a local, independently owned business, to hire for this job. A friend referred me to The Academy. Admittedly, I was nervous. I’m a hobbyist sewer, so I am fully aware how much work this was going to be. Sam was super confident that this wasn’t an impossible job.
My pants were ready within a couple days of drop off. When I tried them on, I was elated! They fit like a glove. The length is perfect, and they hug my body in all the right places. A perfectly tailored pair of pants. At this point, if the shirt turned out half as good as the pants, I’d be happy. Today, I picked up the shirt. It is every bit as perfect as the pants.
I love The Academy! I will definitely refer people here always. I will definitely be back for tailoring. The prices fit the service. Thank you Sam, for everything!

Sam made me the most amazing blazer to go with my Academy denim cycling pants! What an amazing suit!

I have been looking for true black demin jeans for about 4months now and have gone to about every place I can think of (H&M, GAP, Vans, Jcrew, Lucky Brand, etc). Nothing quite fit me and I always felt that I was compromising on the style and cut that I really wanted. Fortunately on Unilocal this gem of a store popped up! I walked in and everything just seemed to click with my inner fashionista! Sam was very attentive and knowledgable about materials and process of the clothing. He also asked me to bring in pictures and jeans that he could see (so as to get a feel for my style) this was great because I could see the gears moving and physically see him getting an idea of what I wanted! I’m very excited to see how the pants look and feel on when I get them! If you are particular about how your clothes fit, where they are sourced, how they are made, or generally like looking well out together I highly recommend paying a visit to this slice of paradise! If you don’t pick up a pair of pants or a shirt the aura of cool emitted from The Academy’s doors just might rub off on you in the least!!!

Discovered The Academy online and decided to give them a try. I had a favorite pair of jeans that were in need of some reconditioning and button replacement. I went to the store, and met Sam. He could not have been more helpful, courteous and reassuring about how they were going to fix my jeans and how long it would take. He also quoted me the price, which was far more reasonable than I was expecting. You don’t call the store to check on them, you text. And every time I did, Sam got back to me within minutes, keeping me up to date and letting me know the progress. When I got the jeans back, they looked even better than I hoped for. It’s a huge relief knowing I now have a place that can extend the shelf life of my favorite jeans, if not indefinitely, at least for the foreseeable future. Highly recommend Sam and The Academy. Great experience.

Wandered into this beautiful store during a day exploring Long Beach by foot.
This is such a warm little space with a gorgeously crafted selection of menswear. I’d keep it on a list of places to go to pick up a unique piece for someone special.
Though it was clear that we wandered in here without an intention to buy, the guy manning the counter was really friendly and gave us plenty of tips on what to do on the rest of our jaunt through Long Beach.

These guys are legit, cool, and honorable people.
Here’s my story:
I brought in two pairs of Iron Hearts for hemming, and a third pair for some repair work done. I’ll keep things concise and simple.
The repair work was for an overlock reinforcement along the inseam on one leg. They ended up doing both legs and the charge was more than reasonable. The work was very good.
The two pairs which were set for hemming ran into some small issues, none of which are damaging in any way. I expressed that I was not happy with the result, and decided to just let a friend who works on my jeans (he lives far away, though) work on them (as in, I’ll ship them to him) because I am precise about my specifications.
They refunded me my money, did not pressure me into anything (they offered me a refund AND offered to fix the issue, but I simply decided on another option), and still respected me as a customer and human being. I felt bad since part of the fault also lies with me NOT being clear enough with my initial instructions. This small issue could have been avoided, but they were still cool about issuing a refund immediately.
The actual technical specifications of the hemming (and the overlock repair work, remember) were all very good, high quality. My issues were very strange and specific to my case; do not let this deter you from choosing The Academy for your denim and repair work.
In the future, I will be back for various denim-​related needs and purchases.
Also, Sam, thanks for the beer! And sorry for the troubles, I really am.

Finally, a local spot that cares about denim as much as I do. Sam is awesome. His store is filled with hand made, quality fashion. Stop in and you wont be disappointed.

Cool clothes and great customer service! If you are looking for a great tailor for an awesome price this is your place.

Nice people… good hearts. They do a good job and the prices are good especially compared to West Los Angeles prices.,

I will only take my jeans here to get hemmed! The service is super fast (my last pair was done same day), affordable, and done very well! It’s also great that they text you when it’s ready! Sam is rad too!

Men, please pick up a pair of pants from an extremely talented designer. The Academy is Localism at its very best. Quality service and a superbly constructed pair of pants for a great price. I love this place.

First of all I want to make one thing perfectly clear «slim-​well-​tapered chinos» do nothing for me. Nope, not at all. Are there guys out there that are really so serious about these things? Apparently. And I say «Good for Them»! It’s amazing to me that a home grown business like The Academy can generate such passion for their products. That’s why I bought one of their shirts. But there was a problem. A flaw in the cloth. Made a quick call on a Sunday and found out the best way to get their attention was a text. Done. Was told they’d be open until 5. Showed up and the shirt was immediately exchanged (wait, what’s faster than immediately?). People this is a real business doing something unique right here. Whatever we can do to support businesses like this we should do. Check these guys out.
Hmmm… I wonder if they could find me a 55 cm Celeste 227 Bianchi? Then I might be motivated to start riding again and I’d have a perfect reason to buy more of their stuff.

Took 3 pairs of jeans in to have the buttons switched out (I have a nickel allergy) and leather patches added. Sam was very attentive, helpful, and courteous, and the work was really well done. Both the buttons and the patches were super reinforced.
Note that repairs are cash only and parking can be tricky (there’s a lot down the block if you’re passing the shop on the right side of the street).

My friend took me to the academy in January after I complimented him on his chinos and asked where I could get a pair. It’s rare to find slim chinos that are nicely tapered, and even more rare to find them in an army olive green. Unfortunately, I will never know what it is like to have these pants.
You see, when my friend brought me there in January, they had just sold out of the last of their stock of their famed pants. Seeing as how we had driven there from LA, I took a look around the store to see what else they had. Nothing. Junk. All they have to offer is their pants, which is fine. Lots of businesses succeed by doing one thing very well.
Unfortunately for me and every other guy who likes slim-​well-​tapered chinos, the academy does nothing well.
During that first visit in January, the employee named Sam promised me that the next batch of pants would be ready late-​January. Then when late January came around it got pushed back to February. Then March. Then… silence. Sam just stopped returning my calls.
I should actually say that Sam never really «returned» my calls. He would simply send me a text message back whenever he felt like it. Sometimes it would be as long as two weeks after my original voice message.
You know that one socially awkward friend who you always try to call and they always dodge you and send a text back? That’s Sam, and yes, he’s that annoying.
So after months of what feels like talking to a wall, I just gave up. My last transmission was in March. I moved on with my life.
Then, in JUNE (!!!), a full 6 MONTHS from my original visit to the store, Sam sends me a text message (you couldn’t call me, dude?) to tell me that they *finally* have their pants back in stock and that if I want to see the colors, give him my email and he’ll send over pictures right away!
You can guess what happens next. I give him my email, get nothing in return. Oh Sam… predictable, stupid Sam.
Who am I kidding anyways, I know I want those pants, so I just get in the car and make that drive down from LA once more to finally get my hands on the precioussssssssss.
Except that when I get there at 12:30, nobody is in the store. I double check the Unilocal hours, yup, it says they are open from 12:00 — 7:00 pm. I briefly pause and think «damn, those are some of the laziest hours ever» I then also wonder how a place that has such terrible hours and hasn’t had any stock for 6 months of the one thing that they sell can even manage to stay afloat.
Remembering that Sam is that awkward friend who only responds to texts, I send him a text asking if their store is open today. Unsurprisingly, I get no response. I’ve already made the drive down, so I wait 15 minutes, at which point I see Sam leisurely strolling up to the store with coffee in hand.
«Must be nice», I think to myself, «to not give a fuck about anything.»
So I go into the store and before I buy these pants I’ve been waiting oh-​so-​long for, I ask if he got my text. He looks like a deer in the headlights, but still manages to stammer out a «ohhhh yeahhh, I was just gonna text you back.»
Liar, liar, pants on fire!
Well, actually, no pants on fire … because guess what, HE TELLS ME THEY DON’T HAVE THE PANTS.
WHAT DA FUQ?!
B-​b-​b-​b-​b-​b-​but … you sent me a text message saying they were ready?!
«Oh yeah, well we were wearing them and the stitching started coming out at the crotch area so we sent them all back to get redone. [Don’t remember the exact words he said because my head was in the middle of exploding but he said some stuff about how Academy doesn’t release pants that aren’t of the highest quality — blah blah blah]. Don’t worry though, they’re worth the wait.»
No Sam, they’re not. Nothing is worth this torture.
Mistake #1: Telling people your pants are ready when they are NOT. You do quality control on that shit on your own time, THEN you sell it. Don’t try to cover up your mistake by playing it off like you’re some small local business that has higher standards than everybody else.
Mistake #2: NOT texting/​calling me to tell me that you pulled the pants off the shelves. You could’ve easily saved me 2 hours of driving and gas $$ by taking 10 seconds (maximum, if you’re a slow typer) to send me a text.
Mistake #3: NOT apologizing to me for mistakes #1 and #2 which would have made me feel like you gave a damn. A very simple and genuine «I’m sorry about the inconvenience» would’ve made me feel a whole lot better, but you were Mr. Cool, trying to play down the fact that you still did not have the pants ready.
Thanks for nothing Sam!
How you guys are still in business, I honestly have no clue.
And in the wise words of Taylor Swift: «We are never getting back together … like, EVER.»

The Academy in Long Beach offers a wide array of artfully crafted, high quality, designer manufactured products. In an age with the majority of manufacturing being pushed to cheap overseas factories, The Academy is a breath of fresh air for homegrown Southern California fashion and domestic manufacturing.
The pants from The Academy fit incredibly well and are the most comfortable lower body covers I have ever experienced. They utilize just the right amount of stretch for optimal comfort. Their shirts offer an excellent fit as well and are constructed from unique/​rare materials with every detail very well thought out. The Academy also has a custom denim line that allows the user to interact with the construction process and customize the details.
In addition to their attention to detail infused clothing line, The Academy also offers tailoring for all clothing and denim repairs. Great store with a great staff.