TAILOR PROFILE SERIES VOL. 19 WITH DAVID NGUYEN

Levi’s® has been a part of my life since childhood growing up in Oroville, California. From my early days of wearing crazy printed sweaters with light wash jeans to today’s Stay Loose fits and pocket tees, my roots in denim heritage have never wavered. Taking the leap from Oroville to San Francisco for design school at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) was a pivotal milestone in my life. I was able to get hired at the Levi’s® Flagship Store while attending school and worked my way up to becoming a Tailor. A moment that really stuck with me after I was first hired as a Levi’s® Tailor was when I received a vintage jacket from the 1920’s to repair. It was the client’s great-grandfather’s from his high school and college years. All the original yellow stitching had turned a light-ish pink but the design remained the same and the fabric was mostly intact. This moment really solidified my understanding of the longstanding Levi’s® legacy and how far it reached beyond me.

My main inspirations are a mixture of nature and family while maintaining a consistently sustainable approach. I like to incorporate worn-in pieces from older garments to capture the feeling of exploring nature during the winter months. I look for garments used for cold weather activities like hiking and snowboarding and then imagine them returning to the warmth of a cabin with family. The hooded jacket I created (one of my favs) combines some pre-loved pant legs and an aging waistband to create the hood. I also used an old zipper from a jacket, and added pockets and various design elements like chain stitch embroidery — all upcycled, of course. The other items I created were meant to convey both warm and cold with elevated repairs that told a seasonal story, embroidered areas that engaged a circular narrative, and vintage pieces that needed just a little love for an exciting new journey.