Levi's® Launches Footwear Line

True to Levi's workwear heritage and image, this new footwear line due to launch this February will make the perfect addition to your wardrobe. Consisting of a neutral palette and constructed from the finest leather and suede, key styles include the Hobcap Worker Boot, Crepe Bellow Desert Shoe and The Forbrog Boot.

A New Store In Town

When the secret reputation of Shoredtich in east London being an achingly cool, creative hub became mainstream, many fled further east. So it is no surprise that one of London's scrappiest areas, Dalston, is seeing rise to one of London's hottest new boutiques; LN-CC.

Stepping out from the virtual world into the real, a former boxing gym will soon become their highly polished, avant-garde concept store designed Gary Card. Commissioned by Creative Director John Skelton and partner Dan Mitchell, visitors will enter the store only to navigate themselves through a 'deconstructed' forest onto which they will end up in a wooden tunnel that represents 'the belly of a beast'. This adventure playground of retail is an interesting concept which Card has put an incredible amount of thought into, which reflects his creative thinking and artistic talent as a set designer.

The 6,000-square foot space, divided into seven different rooms, will have their own distinct atmosphere with a different tone and figurative temperature. With a mix of organic, industrial, warm and cold the main attraction of the store is the private club space which hosts a vintage sound system by Mickey Boyle - a name that is legendary within the club industry. However, another enticing feature will be a library with asymmetrical shelving that holds a diverse, rare and interesting titles often unseen in many other cities.


As for the fashion? They currently stock some of the biggest designers in the world such as Rick Owens, Raf Simons, Levi's and Vans, as well as some incredible new, young designers such as J W Anderson, Damir Doma and Mr. Olive. The selection is growing yet will see such pieces suspended on mannequins or just presented in an incredible space. It shall be hard not to be tempted to buy one piece, at least. But even if you don't it doesn't seem to bother LN-CC; "We don't care if you come here and don't actually buy anything - we are happy for you to take what ever you want from this, whether it be product, information or knowledge".

LN-CC is currently available online at ln-cc.com and the store will be open 'shortly'.

Words By Dan Hasby-Oliver

Leviʼs® launches the 519 Skinny Jean with The Gaslight Anthem

Leviʼs® - The original and definitive denim brand - launches their new menʼs skinny fit jean with the help of US rock band The Gaslight Anthem.

The Leviʼs® 519 jean is slim in the leg, with a gentle taper down to the ankle for a clean and effortless skinny fit. Produced from premium denim with a touch of stretch, the 519 jean gives a sharp but ultra comfortable feel. Highlight finishes for the season include indigo based ʻBlack Driftʼ as well as ʻKill City Blackʼ for the iconic rock look.

Leviʼs® has always supported contemporary talents. Following from last season's advertising campaign supporting emerging craftsmen and artists, for the 519 launch Leviʼs® is supporting rapidly rising American rock band The Gaslight Anthem. The "Origins" exhibit space in London's Regents Street has been transformed into a loading bay of a Gaslight Anthem concert, complete with big black flight cases on wheels, concert scaffolding and spotlights.

The Gaslight Anthem's European tour kicked off in the UK earlier this month. The band wears the 519 jeans throughout their tour and is also featured in Leviʼs® new campaign wearing the skinny jeans. Signed to Side One Dummy Records The Gaslight Anthemʼs recently released album ʻAmerican Slangʼ was tipped as one of the most highly anticipated albums for 2010 by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Leviʼs® new 519 skinny jeans is now available in store and online.

Check out Leviʼs® facebook page for further information http://www.facebook.com/levisuk

Step Out In Style

New for Autumn/Winter 10 comes the expansion of Levi's Men's Premium Footwear collection following the success of the line in previous seasons. Taking inspiration from the brand's quality craftsmanship and strong work-wear heritage, the collection focuses on the classic boot silhouette that has now become synonymous with Levi's.

The range- which exudes a certain sense of Americana which ties into the apparel line- features six iconic styles. With Levi's signature buttons and rivets, the traditional work boots-Hob Cap and Hob Monkey- are produced from painted and washed leather with brushed uppers to give them a classic rugged style.

A key look this season courtesy of Levi's is the Crepe Desert Boot. With a chunky side stitch and layered construction, the boots come complete with plain aged studs, simple heat embossed flying tabs and Levi's signature red lining.


Produced from premium nubuck, the traditional Forchelsea boot and Lebrog brogue styles are washed and dried slowly with brushed level uppers which give them a distinctive vintage softness. To complete the look, both styles are signed off with an embossed Levi's two horse logo.

Finally, to complement more formal attire, Levi's have created the Forankie Oxford Boot, featuring recycled tunit soles with a brass finishing. The timeless style also features a gently curved sole, the result of the washing process which gives the appearance the shoes have been worn over time. The over all branding is subtle, using self-embossing and stitching, reminiscent of the clothing features.

The collection is previewing in select retailers from July 2010 and will be available at Levi's newly re-crafted flagship store, ASOS and select Kurt Geiger stockists.

For more, click here.

Levi's Relaunch The 201!

To commemorate the birth of its original blue jean, Levi’s are re-releasing the iconic 201. The jeans, which were first introduced back in 1890 and were staple work-wear for a number of decades before being discontinued; have been revitalized as part of Levi’s archive inspired Product With Roots Collection.

Recreated in three distinctive denim washes, the 201 jeans will feature original design details including a cinch back, exposed rivets and the famous crotch rivet. The three unique washes consist of Indigo Hope, a premium raw denim, Blue Collar Dark, a slightly stone-washed finish and Blue Collar Light, a worn-in and heavily stone-washed finish.


In celebration of this relaunch, Levi’s have transformed the Origin space within their newly redesigned Flagship Store on Regent’s Street into a fitting tribute to the 201 with their unique visual display of denim craft. What’s more, an original 201 from 1893 has been flown over from Levi’s archive in San Francisco and is being proudly displayed within a glass vault in the basement of the store.

Be sure to check it out.

For more, click here.

Unveiling of the new LEVI'S London Flagship store

7TH MAN MAGAZINE was today invited to an exclusive unveiling of the newly re-constructed LEVI'S flagship store on London's Regent Street, which will open to the public tomorrow (Wednesday 31st March).

Jamie Hall from Levi's explained to us in incredible details the various concepts of the store, which has a strong emphasis on the heritage of craftsmanship and the history of the Levi's denim branding.

As we entered the store, there were massive ceiling to floor portraits of various artists/craftsman/artisans that are participating in the Levi's current project, these include textile designers, set designers and sculptors. Displayed with their work are headphones that contained messages left by these creatives about themselves, what they do and what inspires them.

This area, known as "The Origins" area, will be left as a clean gallery space to showcase these type of special Levi's collaborations.

Behind the "Origins" area lies the actual store itself.

The fitting and units here are designed to have an industrial feel that is outside the normal realms of fashion: for example, the metallic units on the shop floor are actual crates used in the pharmaceutical industry, and the curved shelving on the walls of the "Inspection Gallery" are inspired by architecture used in airlines. There are also metallic lockers that looked like they came from the old factory staff changing rooms.

Blank brown paint canvases are littered here and there on the walls - the intention of this is to draw attention to the brown duck canvas material itself, which was a revolutionary material used around 150 years ago to make garments for industry workers such as farmers and miners. This material was hard to wear and rather uncomfortable - and over time it led to the development of denim and the Levi's brand.

The same brown duck canvas lines the wall of the new changing rooms which is now unisex, with blue painted barn-like doors. When switched on, there are lights that alert staff for help, which should help any embarrassments of being half dressed behind changing room doors shouting for assistance!

The research into the perfect retail experience can be seen in how the womenswear and menswear shopping areas are arranged.

The womenswear area is arranged like a wardrobe, with different types of garments placed next to each other so the shopper can put looks together as they shop, whereas the menswear section is arranged by different catergories of garments - as men shops very differently to women.

This is also reflected in the "Inspection Room" in the basement, which is organised especially to eliminate the hassle and difficulties of buying a pair of jeans. Mannequins display the different styles/fits of jeans, while the unit directly below shows the different washes/treatments/finishes available in that style/fit with a code. Using this code you can find the jeans in your size directly behind you on a metal shelf. Easy!

As the Levi's 501 is the biggest jean in the world, a special area in the basement is dedicated to it.

Around the walls are 501s in 18 different washes, with the most popular 4 washes (there are 22 washes in total!!) in the centre folded in a special self-selection area in the centre catered for easy shopping.

Together with a massive see-through denim vault/store room, nearly half of this new Levi's store is dedicated to the 501 jean.

The romance of the 501 jean can be experienced in the Vintage section.

The current model on display is the 501 taken from the 1933 archive. It features metal braces buttons and a cinch back, with belt loops at the sides that were only just introduced back in the 30s - an era of US economic crisis and the Great Depression.

We finished the tour at the bottom of the glass staircase where a framed pair of Levi's 201 jean that came from the San Francisco Levi's archive (this model will be available to buy later this year). These were found in a mine around 100 years ago - they have been cleaned only and kept in an air tight, temperature controlled environment - not restored/repaired in any other way.

Interestingly, this amazing pair of vintage jeans from 100 years ago really sums up the ethos and heritage of the Levi's brand: Classic, yet forever modern and enduring, defying trends and outlasting the cycles of fashion.

For Jean-Michel Basquiat

The Inoue Brothers, along with Nicholas Taylor bring us a collaboration in honor of the late NYC artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Jean and Nicholas had a extraordinary creative relationship that developed during the 1980’s. Both created the band ‘GRAY” also consisting of Michael Holman, and Vincent Gallo, which was declared at the time by Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine as “possibly the best band on the planet.”

Taylor and The Inoue Brothers wanted to show a new perspective for that time. They wanted to capture the essence of the late 70’s and early 1980s downtown art scene.

And they did, in three creative ways.

The Exhibition:

As Jean-Michel’s confidante, Nicholas Taylor brings together a collection of photographs that depict’ both growing relationships, in a time where their talent was flourishing.

At the St. Martins Lane Hotel, Front Room. Now until November 1st, 2009

The Collection:

Together with the exhibition, the Inoue brothers have designed an exclusive collection which will be at Dover St Market from 10th of October - 7th November 2009. Employing discharge printing technique, using as canvas, the collection incorporates classic styles from well known labels such as Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Pendleton Woolen Mills and 1969 vintage Levi’s.

Each item is unique and limited edition.

The Book:

Bringing Nicholas sentiments in a unique collection of essays and images.

"Jean-Michel Basquiat Through Nicholas Taylor" will be available for £35 at both St. Martins Lane Hotel and Dover St. Market.

To find out more, please visit:

www.theinouebrothers.net

www.stmartinslane.com

www.doverstreetmarket.com

-Online Contributing Editor -NJD