Whether you’ve seen Los Angeles Apparel billboards sprinkled around LA or just stumbled across their website, one thing is for sure – this brand is blowing up.
Featuring simple loungewear and other basic items, clothes from this brand scream comfort and LA style. I was able to try a couple of pieces from this brand, so I will be sharing my review!
What is Los Angeles Apparel?
Founded in 2016, LA Apparel actually started as a wholesale business and expanded (although they still offer wholesale). Now, they’re a fairly large brand with 1,800+ employees!
They do give off hardcore American Apparel vibes, but I’m guessing that was the goal since the brand was founded by the same person who founded American Apparel.
Aside from their super comfy loungewear, one of the best things about this brand is that they’re dedicated to ethical clothing production. Some of their values include:
- Fair wages and ethical factories – Starting employees make an average of $20 per hour, employees at their garment factory can make up to $35 per hour.
- Creating jobs in the USA – They intend to employee thousands of people in the Los Angeles area. They also only buy textiles and yarn products made in the United States, and their knitting and dyeing is done in Los Angeles.
- Environmentally friendly sourcing – They use recycled/reclaimed cotton, cotton grown ethically, and organic cotton.
- Sustainability – Nearly 100% of their shipping and production byproducts are recycled (paper, boxes, plastic, scrap fabric, and more). They also often use their scrap fabric to create limited-edition pieces.
Note: While these ethical and sustainable practices sound great, the biggest concern with this brand is the founder himself, Dov Charney (former founder of American Apparel). He was accused of harassment multiple times before leaving his prior company (he was also accused of using ethnic slurs, storing inappropriate videos on work servers, and so on).
While his new company might put a higher emphasis on ethical wages and sustainable garments, you still might be giving your money to someone who isn’t very ethical himself. If you decide not to shop here, click here to jump down to the end of this article and see some great alternatives to LA Apparel.
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My Los Angeles Apparel Review
I was sent a pullover top and sweatpants to try out, but my review and opinions are still 100% honest.
If there’s one thing I love more than comfy loungewear, it’s matching loungewear.
Leaving the house in a normal pair of sweatpants would normally be a little embarrassing. But a matching top and sweatpants? Paired with some cute sunglasses, a Gucci belt bag, and an iced latte in your hand, you’ll fit right into Los Angeles.
I was able to try two matching items from them: the Cotton Fleece Half-Zip Pullover and Cotton Fleece High-Waist Sweatpants. Having worn them a little too frequently for the past month or so, you could definitely say I’ve been loving this set.
Sizing
Rating: 7/10
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The top fits great! While the sweatpants were designed to be oversized, they were still a bit large. I definitely could have sized down.
They still fit, they just look more oversized than the model photo looked (I’m also not as skinny, so there’s that).
Quality
Rating: 7/10
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The pullover crop top has been great quality and still looks brand new. I love the zip-up and cropped design. My biggest complaint is that the collar has a super sharp part of the plastic that stabs me every so often, but it’s fine otherwise.
The sweatpants are super cozy and comfortable – they have held up great as well, but the only downside is they have started pilling between the legs. I do have thicker thighs, so this tends to happen to most sweatpants I own after time goes by.
A fabric shaver or razor gets rid of this easily – they did take longer to start pilling than most other pants I own. Luckily, the fabric is thick and high-quality, so I doubt shaving the pilling off will do much damage until years down the line.
I have washed both a few times and there hasn’t been any shrinkage.
Since they’re cotton, it’s important to wash them carefully to avoid pilling on all of the fabric. I use cold water, low tumble dry, and mild detergent. I also add some white vinegar as a DIY fabric softener.
I also liked that you can easily tuck in the tie for the sweatpants (although I obviously didn’t do that in the photo).
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Overall
Rating: 7/10
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To sum up my Los Angeles Apparel review, I loved this set! The quality is great, both pieces are beyond comfortable, and they have held up well after wearing/washing them quite a few times. The sweatpants have pilled a bit, but this happens for most cotton items – it’s nothing extreme and it’s easy to get rid of.
Having owned quite a few American Apparel products in the past, these definitely feel and look very similar. So, if you like American Apparel, you’ll love Los Angeles apparel too!
That being said, if your most important factor when shopping is finding an ethical brand, I would look elsewhere after doing some additional research on their founder. While the brand seems to have great ethical standards and sustainable practices, the founder has a bad history. You can decide for yourself if you’ll be shopping from this brand, but I will likely avoid them in the future. He may have turned a new leaf, but there are plenty of similar loungewear-inspired brands you can give your money to instead.
On that note, here are some excellent alternatives to LA Apparel:
Lovello Elizabeth
This black-owned and woman-owned loungewear brand creates minimalistic pieces with a similar style (and similar price point) to LA Apparel. Perfect for working out or just hanging out around the house all day, we highly recommend picking up some garments from Lovello Elizabeth.
With a minimalistic color palette and a wide variety of essential styles, Quince is another great alternative to check out. You can find loungewear sets and washable silk items that will change your life.
I love the SuperSoft Fleece Pants and the matching hoodie. The quality is great while being significantly more affordable than their competitors, plus they value sustainability and fair wages for their workers.
Everlane is another popular brand that has a wide variety of styles, but focuses on the essentials and puts an emphasis on transparency. At the bottom of each item page, you can view a pricing breakdown that shares why it costs as much as it does. They don’t overcharge, they focus on ethical factories, and have excellent sustainability goals.
A brand dedicated to high-quality garments made with only the finest cotton, this is a great brand if you’re looking for pieces that will last for years. Although pricing is a bit higher, you get what you pay for (plus, they have occasional sales that bring the prices down). They make everything under one roof in Los Angeles, with an emphasis on ethical and sustainable production.
Workout gear might be your first thought when you think of this brand, but they also have a wide selection of minimalistic and cozy loungewear or other everyday essentials. Alo Yoga is sweatshop-free and dedicated to reducing its environmental footprint.
why do all the models look so sad? 🙁