MEET THE DESIGNER: THE 501® ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Campaigns and Collaborations /
May 2023
Question: During the countless times you’ve pulled up, thrown on, or shimmied into your very favorite Levi’s®—have you ever stopped to wonder who was responsible for that perfect fit or special detail? We decided it was time the world got to know the heroes behind the seams.
Introducing our brand-new video series, “Meet the Designer,” in which we take you inside the minds of real members of Levi’s® design team (plus special guest Tracey Panek, Levi’s® historian who plays a crucial role in their process).
You’ll learn who they are, what they work on, where they find inspiration and how their best ideas become the Levi’s® we all know and love for a lifetime.
And what better time to launch the inaugural episode than the 150th anniversary of the 501® Original Jean—our most iconic design ever.
This season, the team gravitated towards a common theme of handcrafted techniques—the personalized ways people repair and recraft their denim to extend its lifestyle or add a bit of self-expression to their most treasured pieces.
Learn more in our design team’s own words above, then shop their incredible work below.
RECRAFTED PERFECTION
“Playful, fun, cute, bright—I love that my personality and the way I like to dress shows through those jeans,” says Caroline Chun, Women’s Senior Designer.
For many of their limited-edition finishes, our women’s design team wanted you to feel like they stole your grandma’s vintage denim and then made it special and fresh—with patchwork, quilting, stitches and the same tender loving care she would’ve used.
“We tried to replicate that feeling of home-done DIY,” says Caroline. “It just feels a little more special and different from everything else that's out there.”
THE 501®HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE ULTIMATE BLANK CANVAS FOR SELF-EXPRESSION AND CUSTOMIZATION.
– Nobutoshi “Q” Nakao, Men's Senior Designer
FROM PEACE SIGNS TO FISH PUNS
For men’s take on recrafted perfection, Men’s Senior Designer Nobutoshi “Q” Nakao and Assistant Designer Tyler Young found part of their inspiration in Levi’s® Archives—namely from a sun-bleached 501® Original from the 1970s, worn by a surfer who covered it in patches that scrapbooked all the places he’d caught waves.
“The 501® has always been the ultimate blank canvas for self-expression and customization,” says Q. So he and Tyler borrowed the patchwork idea from the “Surf” pair, then modernized and made it their own this season.
“Q is a big fisherman,” says Tyler. “So we enjoyed adding our personal touch to the patches with fishing or sea elements. We had the opportunity to play around and make a little joke here and there.”
501® BANNER PRINT
“If we were ever going to do a banner, this is the time,” says Men’s Design Director Steve Burns.
Inspired by actual Levi’s® advertising banners from the 1930s-1950s, these one-of-a-kind collector’s items were hand-sanded for a vintage-y look and feel, and Senior Textile Designer Holly Hapka literally hand-painted the design.
“She really did it from scratch, the way that those banners used to be created,” Steve says. “A lot of love and craft went into the development of this.”
ARCHIVE-INSPIRED PATCHING
“For the 150th anniversary of the 501®, we were looking at some of the earliest evidence of someone having not only worn them, but what had they done to adapt them,” says Tracey, our historian.
Enter, “Spur Bites,” a popular pair from Levi’s® Archives that were worn by a cowboy in the 1890s. Those vintage jeans led to the modern-day, limited-edition finish you see here.
“It has patches all over it, but especially in areas where the cowboy did his work,” Tracey says. “He was probably holding the reins of the horse on his right thigh. And the back side where he was sitting in a saddle—that's covered.”
A LOT OF LOVE AND CRAFT WENT INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS.
– Steve Burns, Men’s Design Director
COMING SOON! STUDDED EVERYTHING
“The Trucker is my favorite product I've worked on so far,” says Dominique Iannettoni, Levi’s® Women’s Bottoms and Denim Finishing Designer.
With over 100 studs on every piece, the team spent weeks deciding on colors, metals, number of studs and the exact placement of each individual embellishment.
“I'm really excited for people to wear it and have fun in it,” says Dom. “And I hope our handcrafted capsules inspire people to get more Levi's® and put their own spin on it. Maybe even customize the ones we've customized to see how you can make it different!”
Embellished 501® Jeans and Trucker Jackets will be available for purchase in October, but Red Tab™ Members get early access. (P.S. if you haven’t joined yet, get on that. It’s free and comes with awesome perks like this all the time.)
Shop all our design team’s hard work online and in stores. And for styling tips and outfit inspiration, follow us on Instagram and TikTok. Then tag @levis and #LiveinLevis to share your Levi’s® style with the world.