This is a video by Takayuki Akachi of a girl traveling the world in her Levi’s. To me, this is what raw denim is all about- wearing your jeans as part of your journey. As this girls second skin, the fabric literally records the history of her two year trip around the world. You can see how her denim fades and ages into a beautiful shades of blue that can only be achieved by constant wear.
“The “Go Forth” brand campaign, developed in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy Portland, is rooted in America’s raw, pioneering spirit. The campaign positions the Levi’s brand as the brand for pioneers who are in the process of building a new America. Their youthful optimism and pioneering energy are at the core of Levi’s DNA, and this overarching theme has been woven into every component of the “Go Forth” campaign. Everything you see, from a cinema spot to a banner ad, is full of energy, vibrancy and provocation—created with a sense of movement, freedom and optimism in mind. “Go Forth” reminds consumers that Levi’s jeans are the jean of self-reliance, hard work, and an independent, hopeful spirit.”
Cleveland born Michael Williams had a nice interview with Levi’s Archivist Lynn Downey on his blog A Continuous Lean. Since we’ve had a knack for posting about the intracacies of the 501 before, this is definitely a recommended read for anyone interested in the history of denim.
Here are some easy tips on caring for your raw/dry denim. Â Whether you have a pair of Levi’s 501 STF or some Nudies, these tips will help you fresh and clean! Â Just remember that your everyday activities and lifestyle gives the denim its own unique, individual character … basically the more you wear your jeans the more amazing they will become.
Some info regarding denim is that the warmer the water is, the more the indigo will bleed. The whole point is to keep the indigo on the denim for as long as possible. Indigo is different from synthetic dyes, since it is not fully absorbed into the cotton fibers/thread. The indigo actually sits on-top of the fibers and that’s why denim fades to a white color over time. See more instructions after the jump…
Here is a brief history of Levi’s and the pants that we now know as jeans …
Levi Strauss first arrives in San Francisco in 1853 and opens a wholesale dry goods business. In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, a local clothing tailor, invents and patents men’s pants intended as workwear. Their first creation, dubbed “waist overalls” featured one back pocket with the Arcuate (Levi’s “arc”) stitching design, a watch pocket, a cinch, suspender buttons, and rivets. The cinch and suspender buttons were standard on men’s pants at the time. The rivets were Davis’ idea to reinforce torn pants. His contribution was to place copper rivets to reinforce the points of strain on pants, like pocket corners and at the base of the button fly. And that was the invention of denim jeans on May 20, 1873. They are known worldwide as the most successful, widely recognized, and imitated clothing products in the history of apparel…
What we have today are Levi’s quintessential classic, which is the famous 501, a modern version of the “overalls” made in 1873. Many things have changed from the 1873 version, yet many things have remained the same throughout all these years. The Levi’s 501 Original Shrink-to-Fit Jeans are are made to shrink about 10%, so size accordingly. These are straight leg, original fit jeans. Because they are made from a raw rigid dark denim, you can keep them this way by washing as little as possible, or you can wash them often to lighten and fade them.
Check out Next’s huge selection of Levi’s denim including their most popular 501 STF denim!
