Partners with Central Saint Martins on three limited edition collections available exclusively at Levi’s® Haus, London
Designed by three MA Fashion students, each collection showcases how Levi’s® denim can be reimagined for a new beginning
London, 2nd September 2021: A trio of MA design talent from one of the world’s most prestigious fashion institutions debuts limited-edition product available exclusively at Levi’s® Haus, London.
Your old stuff. Our old stuff.
As part of the Levi’s® by Levi’s® range which launched in October 2020, this project forms part of the brand’s perennial pursuit of sustainability, as well as its ongoing initiative to bring together fresh new forces in fashion. Made exclusively of Levi’s®back catalogue, Levi’s® by Levi’s® celebrates sustainable product solutions, offering responsibly remade pieces exclusively at the brand’s concept store in Soho, Levi’s® Haus, London.
Three students from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London- the college responsible for launching the careers of Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Stella McCartney – have been chosen to work with the denim brand on customising and reimagining dead stock, resulting in a capsule range of vibrant new designs.
Each student – Charlie Constantinou, Juntae Kim and Pip Paz-Howlett – has taken a highly personal approach to the project and immersed themselves in the partnership in a way that says as much about the highly involved research-based process of design at Central Saint Martins as it does about the future of sustainable fashion.
Charlie has explored the potential for zips and fastenings to transform fit and personalise the way a garment can be worn. His work incorporates some of the modular nature of function-focused, high-performance garments, which can be added to or stripped down according to need. He has also looked at the DIY dynamic of punk, subverting the classic lines and silhouettes of the Levi’s® pieces, and liberating the wearer to change lengths and widths as they want.
Juntae has plundered a bountiful archive of European rococo and baroque costume and artworks to create rich, fresh imagery that contrasts with the simplicity of original Levi’s® icons. Brightly coloured floral embroidery has been added to the front panels of a Trucker Jacket, while dramatic gold architectural curlicues transform the waistline of a pair of jeans, detailed with highly ornate stitching.
In contrast with his fellow students’ physical interventions with denim, Paz-Howlett has taken a graphic, psychedelic approach to his collection. Inspired by the imagery of queer youth culture from the 1960s and 1970s, he has worked with eco-friendly pigments to silkscreen his own artwork on to Levi’s® 501® jeans and trucker jackets. Subverting traditional blues and whites, the imagery conjures up the heat of dancefloors as much as long hot summers of sexual exploration and liberation.
Collection available exclusively at Levi’s® Haus, London for a limited time only: 2nd – 30th September
Store location: 41 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JQ
Store opening times: Monday-Saturday 10.00-18.00, Sunday 12.00-18.00
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