INTRODUCING THE LEVI'S® 501® DOCUMENTARY

The Levi’s® 501® button fly jean, the original and first ever blue jean, was born on 20th May 1873. And over 140 years later, it is more popular than ever before. In celebration of 100 years of partnership with Cone Mills Denim in North Carolina, the Levi’s® brand presents a short documentary film, The 501® Jean: Stories of an Original. The film explores the lasting impact the Original 501® jean has had on cultural history. The 501® documentary has been screened in NYC, London, Buenos Aires and Caracas, and launches today on www.levi.com. There will also be subsequent screenings around the globe.

This three-part film is a story of modern America with the Levi’s® 501® at the centre. Exploring the worlds of work, style and rebellion, the film features interviews with pioneers such as Henry Rollins, John Baldessari, Scott Schuman, Andy Spade, Mark McNairy, Erin Wasson, Gary Burden, Eddie Huang, Jim Walrod, Kim Hastreiter, Mel Ottenberg, Michael Polish, Steven Alan, Alexandra Richard, Greg Chapman, Lee Ranaldo, Rachael Wang, Josh Peskowitz and many more.

The film is narrated by Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, one of folk music's most enduring characters. A protégé of Woody Guthrie in the late '50s, Elliott has been hailed as an influence on artists from Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger, to the Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead. Earnest Greene of Washed out contributes to the original score. 

EPISODE 1: THE 501® GOES TO WORK

In the first episode of The 501® Jean: Stories of an Original, we trace the 501® Jean’s journey from a utilitarian garment for coal miners, cowboys, industrial workers, all the way to the creative workers who continue to wear it today.  

EPISODE 2: STYLE 

For the first time Levi’s® are worn for their look, rather than function. With the cowboy films of the 1930s, everybody wanted a piece of the cowboy lifestyle. Hollywood stars adopt it for decades and the 501® becomes a style icon: continuing to inspire contemporary designers and style leaders. 

EPISODE 3: REBELLION

The 501® is a symbol for countercultures and has been sewn into the fabric of America interpreted many ways over many years. The Rebels of the 1950s proudly wore the 501® jean – adopted from the laborers after the Great Depression – and made it a symbol of irreverence and solidarity.  Worn by everyone from James Dean and Marlon Brando to Jack Kerouac and Jackson Pollock, the 501® jean became the emblem of youth and a symbol of rebellion. Rebels across the decades are united through outspokenness, individualism and their love of the 501®.

Levi’s® product featured in the documentary:

Men’s Original Fit Selvedge 501® in Miller  

Women’s 501 in Laurel Haze  

Women’s 501®CT I Desperado Patch

Levi’s® Vintage Clothing Men’s 1947 in New Rinse  

LEVI¹S® AW13 MODERN FRONTIER CAMPAIGN

Throughout history, humans have contemplated the idea of the frontier and migrating from one place to another. In recent history, the idea of the frontier relates to the American West and contains familiar motifs of pioneers, gold miners, farmers and cowboys. Today, the modern frontier is one of limitless potential – a place and a state of mind built on the ideas and inspiration of an extended global community. 

For more than 140 years, the Levi’s® brand has been equipping pioneers with the clothing they need to “Go Forth” and explore the edge of the modern frontier.  From 501® jeans to the trucker jacket and western shirt, Levi’s® Fall 2013 collection features iconic clothing reinterpreted through a modern lens for today’s pioneers.  

Levi’s® Fall 2013 campaign centers on the idea of the modern frontier. The campaign features a deliberate mix of established and up-and-coming creative pioneers in art, film and design – passionate cultural innovators who have worked to make their artistic visions a reality. 

Notable figures in the campaign include professional boxer Tony Jeffries, professional skateboarder Natas Kaupas and drummer Lucky Smith.

The Modern Frontier comes to life world through digital, print, cinema, out-of-home and experiential campaign elements. The print imagery features various American landscapes as the backdrop and was shot entirely in black and white.  The black and white photography conjures a sense of classic Americana and explores the idea of fusing modernity with heritage while capturing the timelessness of the Fall 2013 collection.  Hints of color emerge in the landscapes, providing a teaser for what’s to come in our Spring 2014 collection. 

The campaign encourages today’s pioneers to take action and ‘Go Forth’. 

LEVI'S® CELEBRATES 140 YEARS OF THE 501® JEAN

20th May 2013 marks the exact day 140 years ago that one of fashion’s most timeless and iconic products was born: Levi’s® 501® jeans


When Levi Strauss partnered with the tailor Jacob Davis in 1873 on a patent for riveted pockets on work pants for Western pioneers, they couldn’t have dreamed of its impact on modern culture and fashion alike. 140 years later, it is more popular and even more relevant to global culture and style than ever before. From presidents to movie stars, farmers to fashion icons, entrepreneurs to the every man, the cultural significance of Levi’s® 501® jeans has been defined by the people who wear them. No other product has been worn, loved or re-imagined quite like Levi’s® 501® jeans. A symbol of individuality and universality – the 501® jean is the ultimate expression of personal style – worn by the pioneers who shape our world, generation after generation.


#501


To celebrate this milestone anniversary, Levi’s® has launched a line of non-denim, light-weight twill 501®s in new colours including mineral red, chalk blue, ivy green and true chino for the first time earlier this year.


Levi’s® have also created a short film as a tribute to how Levi’s® 501® jeans have become woven into the world’s cultural landscape.