Apolis: Common Gallery

Excellence in craftsmanship. Walked in and was immediately offered «…coffee, hot cider, tea?» Yes, please. The American in me can’t help but want to touch everything as the fabrics they use are top quality. Be prepared to drop $ 70 on a t-​shirt… but it might be the only t-​shirt you’ll ever want to wear. Men’s clothing only at this location as far as I could see.

Love their store, products, service, and most of all sample sales. I buy items full priced time to time but the value on their sample sales is practically a steal.
Regardless, consider picking up atleast one timeless basic– most of my outerwear is from here and even my girlfriend steals my jackets…

Another hipster, fashionista, OOTD kind of shop — industrial themed. The merchandise felt military inspired with lots of earthy tones. The style evoked a rag-​tag feel but with a twist of fashionable consciousness. Of course everything is priced ridiculously high (as is most hipster shops) and makes you wonder how in the world anybody can afford it (a bow tie made of leftover scrap cotton was like $ 80 –_​-​) and how theyre still in business. Sarcasm aside, it’s a cool shop with free drinks and apparently they have a respectable backstory but for most, that’s all this shop will, and should ever be.
SparkNotes: Hipster, hipster, coffee, overpriced, hipster… clothing store

The Arts District is hands down my favorite part of LA. Whenever I’m in the area, I always stop by for a sausage from Wurstkuche, a coffee from Blacktop, and a consistently incredible shopping experience at Apolis.
I can (and have) written pages and pages about why Apolis is my favorite brand, but I’ll try to sum it up as follows:
— A revolutionary approach to social enterprise
— Top notch fabrics, design, and construction
— Incredible customer service
Imagine walking into an Apple store and being greeted by Tim Cook, who offers you a granola bar. That’s exactly what happens at Common Gallery. I run into the co-​founders probably every other time I’m here, and you can easily tell just how passionate they are about their business and their mission. Plus, there’s always free tea and coffee if you’re thirsty.
Whether you’re a total menswear nerd or you’re just looking to buy a candle, Apolis is worth checking out.

What a mission. This business is flawless — it promotes economic development of communities internationally. Every piece has a story attached, literally, on the tag.
The items are your basics, a limited but well curated range each season. They have a very unstructured LA feel to them — nice fit, fabric, and quality.
When in the market for new clothing, consider upgrading the quality of your purchases.

This shop is one for the books! Such a great concept behind it and the staff is amazing. I walked in and was immediately offered a choice of coffee, lemonade, or water. I chose the lemonade and boy was I glad I did! It was cold and sweet without being overbearing.
I’m a sucker for details and the fitting room door lock is a design aspect I am going to use (sorry guys). The lock was a leather key lanyard that hooks into the door to lock it; a truly awesome design idea.
I ended up leaving with a market bag and kinfolk table book, which I brought back to South Texas. I’ve used the market bag ever since and always get compliments on it.
Overall great space, concept, design elements, and staff. Other shops should take notes!
PS: be sure to use the Unilocal 10% off coupon, it essentially saved you taxes.

The mystery bundle is not really a mystery because of they don’t have much to choose from their unisex inventory. I bought the first installment, and I got a a scarf, a hat, a candle, key chain, and a luggage tag. The 50% off made it seem like a good deal, but then just one week later they had a flash sale on their website. All the items I mentioned were sale items. I should have just waited and spent my money on individual items I actually knew I wanted. Not going to trust Apolis and fall for this anymore.
Update. 7÷29÷14
The owner contacted me directly to discuss my issues. I bumped up a star. Thanks Raan.

So surprised that stores like Apolis and Poketo downtown don’t get more Unilocal reviews.
This time of a year is a good time to take a first visit to 3^rd street in downtown L.A.‘s arts district.
This was my second stop into Apolis: Common Gallery. My first trip in what struck me was how stylish all of the clothing and accessories are in the store. It wasn’t until this second trip in that I recognized that Apolis is equal parts fashion and social mission.
They offer lots of little postcards that explain who the people are that make the textiles, clothing, and leather and why Apolis is partnering with them to bring you merchandise.
There website will tell you a lot more about them then I can and it does a good job of creating the vibe of the shop.
Two brothers own the shop and make all the goodness in the world happen. One of the brothers was manning the shop and told me about a documentary short film Apolis shot in Israel where a shoemaker who cobbles shoes for Apolis buys his materials from Hebron, Palestine. I checked the video out and you should too!

While the shop is great looking and the product looks good, the Apolis sizing is atrocious, and the customer service is even worse.
We all know that sizing varies per brand, but it’s usually one size either way. I’m a 30 inch waist in over a dozen brands, but the Apolis equivalent is a 33.
Now, that’s all well and good, but when i recently bought two pairs of size 32 shorts at their sample sale, I was only able to hastily try them on a plywood shack of a changing room they had set up in a corner. I know they had signs posted saying everything was a final sale, but seeing as the huge size discrepancy is theirs, I contacted their customer service online and asked if I could possibly exchange my two size 32 shorts for anything at all in a size 33, or even store credit. Anything. Anything at all.
What followed was a series of rude emails, sometimes getting a response only after I forwarded my question to them over and over, friendly reminders that they had not yet answered me. And their answer was always, ‘sorry for the sizing trouble’.
I get it, you’re a small business that’s growing, and sometimes you need to draw a hard line. But no one is trying to take advantage of you. I have been a loyal customer that has been very vocal in telling my friends about Apolis, but now unfortunately I have a new story to tell them.
This small gesture would have cost you nothing Apolis, but your rudeness and unwillingness to work with your customers just cost you a fan, and bad reviews to anyone that asks.
Shame.

When I first walked into this mens clothing store, the aroma of their burning candles created this zen like atmosphere within the store. A salesman greeted me and kindly offered me a beverage of my choice. I actually wanted to try this coffee that was boldly displayed on their wall. It was a classy gesture to offer me a beverage while shopping in the store. The beverage kept me intrigued about the premise of the store. I was reading the inscriptions on the back wall to learn about the Apolis brand. Apolis according to their website means global citizen in Greek.
I really did like their designed merchandise including their accessories, luggage, jackets, outerwear, knits, footwear, swimwear, etc. Their website states that 60% of their merchandise is manufactured in LA but does that substantiate a $ 38 plain t-​shirt? After reading further into their website, it is admirable that they have advocacy projects in Peru, Israel, Uganda, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Honduras that help improve various industries within their respective countries. However, I am wondering how they substantiate their significantly higher price points of the merchandise especially merchandise produced through the advocacy projects.

I love the tote/​shopping bag I bought here. The sales associates are wonderful. Great stock on men’s items. They don’t seem to size up the customer, I came in in rags basically since I came in from a class. But I didn’t experience any attitude of prissiness from the person in the store at the time. When I bought my bag the associate even told us we can come back for tea/​water if we get thirsty later on that day from the heat.

I love this store. They carry a wide variety of stuff — jackets, blazers, t-​shirts, pants, jeans, awesome accessories, all very classic but with a bit of an edge. The cut of what I’ve tried so far is thinner, in the best way possible. Ive bought some t-​shirts and a jacket so far, all made in the USA. The people who work there are super friendly and helpful. No attitudes at all. What you should do is go buy new clothes here, change in the car, then go stuff your face next door at wurstkuche. You’ll look better than almost everybody else in there, even filled with fries.

I absolutely love what these guys are offering here: a quality fashion line with a purpose. They are all about connecting the people that make their items to the people that buy their items. What an awesome idea! There are so many amazing items in their store and they are all at the forefront of the fashion industry! Definitely check these guys out!

Great little store in the arts district (I think) near little tokyo. Its a little hard to find if you’re not familiar with the area as there are several one way streets but there. I’m glad there’s a store where you can see and try on the full line of Apolis. Free french pressed coffee and cookies, the salesperson was pretty chill. I’ve been a fan of this brand for some time, not only due to their advocacy but I like the style of the clothing, fit, quality, etc.

I’ve been looking for a special birthday present to get my boyfriend of 2 years for his birthday and FINALLY I have found a place where he will actually love & wear the clothes I buy him! Global and effortless chic, Apolis captures the East coast meets West coast vibe that he will totally love. And the fact that each product is made with sustainability and conscience in mind makes it even hotter! Definitely a fan and HIGHLY recommend checking out the store. The décor is rad!

Super friendly employees, amazing display! I feel like I can find exactly what I’m looking for immediately. I love the classic feel of the whole store. 5 stars!