I’m from the classic button fly 501 generation when David Beckham – once my favorite footballer – had more than a mere influence in the selection. The standard and durable denim still tops Levi’s charts though I’ve shifted loyalties to the 511 jeans for its stretchy and sleek look.
With one foot in the iconic past and the other in the evolving apparel world – where sustainable and responsible production is valuable – Levi’s has launched an Inside-Out 501 Jeans, which you can wear on the flip side. This modification already lures me; not sure if you’d want to walk the streets in a Levi’s worn outward?
The sustainable drift
Levi’s has been on its path of negating the clothing industry’s impact on the environment. As a leading apparel manufacturer and pioneer of blue jeans, Levi’s is working on products that stand the test of time using up to 75% sustainably sourced cotton.
In this league, the inside-out 501 is a durable idea, which if you were to sit back and contemplate, should have hit Levi’s a lot earlier. Fittingly now, the straight-leg Levi’s 501 jeans from 1963 selvedge denim has been revisited and presented in perfect OG-look by Levi’s Vintage Clothing.
The vintage denim – part of the BEAMS x Levi’s first official “Inside Out” five-piece capsule collection, also comprising western shirt and a trucker jacket – is made to look as if the pair was turned outward.
The flip highlights
The washed-out inner side of the timeless silhouette is highlighted by indigo strip and elements – 501 pocket flasher and reversed Big-E L tab – that are typically hidden inside the jeans. The signature indigo side features an atypical light grey waistline and frayed seams to go with it.
Definitely a brilliant concept of a reversed pair of jeans, you can flip to match your upper, wouldn’t be easy on the production line. Consequently, Levi’s “Inside Out” 501 jeans is a limited-run offering that’s likely to retail for 46,200 yen (approx. $360) when it goes on sale starting May 20 – reckoned as 501 Day.
