149 years of the 501® – Berlin mural celebrates the icon
Campaigns and Collaborations /
September 2022
Levi’s® 501® takes over the iconic Berlin party & music venue Lido this September
The Levi’s 501® is a canvas for true self-expression. With this in mind, we tasked the Berlin-bound artist DXTR on what the Levi’s® 501® means to him; a challenge which resulted in a bundle of intriguing symbols mixing nostalgic video game style with tarot inspired aesthetics. Each one of the 16 icons is related to the 149 years long history of the original Blue Jeans.
The gigantic hand-painted artwork covers the façade of party & music venue Lido for the whole month of September.
Decoding the icon(s)
Each piece of this puzzling mural symbolizes the iconic blue jean in one way or another. Are you able to decode the meanings behind these symbols?
1. Measuring line, representing the craftsmanship of our jeans.
2, 3 & 6. Cotton plant, leaf and flower – Symbolizing the key ingredient of Levi’s 501® jeans.
4. The California sun, under which Levi’s® – and the 501® – was born.
5. Back pocket with the iconic Levi’s® arcuate.
7 & 13. Indigofera plant gives the colour to the first ever blue jeans.
8. The two-horse icon visualizes the strength of Levi’s® denim – also familiar from the backpatch of your jeans.
9. It all began with a patent back in 1873. A way to add rivets to denim work pants, making them more durable for a tough day in the mines. These work pants are what we now call the Levi’s 501®.
10. Hands holding cotton, representing the love we put in each and every pair of our jeans.
11. Book and pen, because history was written when the 501® was invented.
12. The Levi’s® arcuate is said to be inspired by an eagle flying.
14. Sand glass, representing the timelessness of the 501® – and the decades you get to spend with your beloved jeans.
15. King and queen – for the iconic 501® being the royalty of jeans.
And last but not least: 501® – the number that changed everything.
About the artist
DXTR The Weird is a Berlin-based artist & freelance illustrator and one of the founders of art collective THE WEIRD. Having started out as a graffiti artist, DXTR’s unique art style derives from nostalgic 8-bit style, familiar from 80s and 90s video games.
Lido, Cuvrystraße 7, 10997 Berlin
Scan & Win
Sign up and get a chance to win your own head-to-toe Levi’s® outfit – for a night out or day in.