If there’s an item of clothing more classic and ubiquitous than a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans, I'll eat one of my three pairs. They are the true chameleon of all wardrobe staples; they transcend all trends and will forever hold a place in the ever-changing zeitgeist. It brings me a very specific kind of joy to know that the thing my mum, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Princess Di, and Bruce Springsteen have in common is their partiality to Levi’s 501’s. And that is perhaps their greatest strength. The ability for 501’s to be a practical uniform for both the farmer, the mum and the movie star. They’re also just really flattering, comfy and apparently 148 years old?
And so to ring in the 148th birthday of the iconic 501 Originals, Levi’s have gathered an impressive roll call of gen-z’s for their latest campaign celebrating the style. The campaign is fronted by seven of our favourite faces, Barbie Ferreira, Naomi Osaka, Jaden Smith, Marcus Rashford, Hailey Bieber, Emma Chamberlain and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who were chosen for how they embody the 501 spirit of creativity, authenticity, self-expression and originality.
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Levi’s Chief Marketing Officer Karen Riley-Grant said in a press release. “We are inspired by the emotional connection they each have with the 501 – their personal styles and stories make the jean so uniquely their own.” The campaign — a white backdrop — shows the models standing, squatting or lounging in layers of denim, where trucker jackets, button ups, cut-offs and straight jeans are spotlighted. Stylistically, the collection is a youthful reimagining of 501 Originals without deviating too far from their vintage roots.
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But what truly separates the latest iteration of 501’s from those gone by is Levi’s dedication to the Water<Less technique they developed back in 2011. Typical denim-finishing processes use an eye-watering amount of water and so their newest method reduces that by 96 per cent. Read that sentence again to soothe your climate anxiety.
Images: Levi's
