My friends at The Academy in Long Beach always aim to defy the norm of apparel design and manufacturing. With locally sourcing materials, manufacturing in Los Angeles, and always working on unique, culturally significant projects; The Academy stands out.

Staying consistant with this philosophy, below are the details on their latest release:

World Peace Day Shirt by The Academy

Celebrating the September 21st observance of World Peace Day, The Academy is releasing our tropical prints inspired World Citizen Shirt series.

The indigo blue floral prints celebrates humanity's unity by incorporating the world's flowers into an updated version of the classic 'Hawaiian Shirt'.

The camouflage floral iteration turns the notion of disguise on its head. Originally designed for clothing of war, this camouflage design blends the world's flowers together in an ironic acknowledgment of Peace.

World Citizen, made in Los Angeles by The Academy. $68. More information on the shirts and purchasing information can be viewed on The Academy website.

A while ago, I conducted an interview with the eyewear brand Capital. Capital aims to go against the grain of the current mass manufacturing practices of today by locally sourcing their materials and handmaking their glasses in the United States. The fascination with this type of business practice has led me to connect with others that use similar honest methods of manufacturing their products. Examples include The Academy and Killspencer here in Los Angeles.

Recently, I checked back in with Capital to discover their evolution as a brand. They have grown to occupying their current manufacturing space and pop up shop in San Francisco. They have also expanded into working with bioplastic acetate frames to compliment the wood frames. These plant based plastic spectacles are 100% renewable, biodegradable, and hypoallergenic.

Capital also released a video outlining a good bit of their production process:

Handmade in the USA from Capital on Vimeo.

In addition to their growth on the manufacturing and retail front, they released a few new frame designs: