Levi's Original 501 Jean Threads poster by Sagmeister
Levi's Original 501 Jean Threads poster by Sagmeister

LOS ANGELES, Mar 28, 2009 / FW/ — Worn by the man on the street to the musician on stage, the Levi’s Original 501 jeans is arguably one of the unofficial uniform of at least three generations. Yet, it is not just an article of clothing. The Levi’s 501 jeans has also become the muse of some of the world’s celebrated artists that include Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Damien Hirst.

In keeping with the label’s history of collaborating with groundbreaking artists, Levi’s is partnering with famed graphic design firm Sagmeister to create a special art series with Levi’s jeans as the subject.

Celebrated for its work with iconic, legendary musicians including the Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground-founder Lou Reed and former Talking Heads front man David Byrne, Sagmeister has developed a series of designs that explore the jean that started it all – the Levi’s(R) Original, Button-Fly 501(R) jean.

To commemorate this unique partnership, the Levi’s(R) brand is teaming up with the influential Los Angeles-based specialty retailer American Rag, to design and execute an exclusive window installation that debuts this March.

The installation will unveil the first two Sagmeister images from the special art series created for the Levi’s(R) brand. Additional works from the series will be introduced in the coming months. To further mark the occasion, the Levi’s(R) brand and American Rag stores in Los Angeles and San Francisco will distribute a limited run of 501 museum-quality, poster reproductions of the Sagmeister images featured in American Rag’s windows this March.

Highly collectible, these reproductions will be available to Levi’s(R) denim collectors and fans as a gift with any Levi’s(R) purchase, while supplies last.

The American Rag window installation, featuring the Levi’s(R) inspired posters by Sagmeister, is the latest in a number of creative, visual displays the Levi’s(R) brand has designed exclusively for American Rag. Previous installations have spotlighted Levi’s(R) Spring 2008 collaboration with the Warhol Foundation for The Visual Arts and Damien Hirst, Levi’s(R) high-end, handcrafted Levi’s(R) Capital E collection, and most recently a playful take on unisex apparel featuring Levi’s(R) Boyfriend 501(R) jean.

For their work with the Levi’s(R) brand, Sagmeister took Levi’s(R) Original button-fly 501(R) and examined its origin and mystique, literally stripping the iconic silhouette down to the raw materials that compose its DNA. “The jeans themselves are iconic, so we decided to go with just a product shot, using nothing more and nothing less than a single pair of 501s,” Stefan explains.

[MARIKIT YAMATO]
Photo courtesy of Levi’s

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