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SPRING/SUMMER PRESS KIT
MEN / WOMEN
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INTRODUCING LEVI’S® MADE & CRAFTED™
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Since 1873, Levi’s® has been building quality garments for pioneering men and women around the world. It’s serious work—making clothes for people that are serious about their work. And after almost 140 years, it’s finally time for the Levi’s® design team to come out and play. Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ is Levi’s® premium collection of finely crafted clothing and accessories developed by the Brand’s most imaginative designers. Informed by the Levi’s® archives and inspired by the ever-changing modern world, Levi’s® Made and Crafted™ collides the old and the new to create often-unexpected interpretations of American classics.
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SEASONAL DESIGN INSPIRATION: ALL ROADS LEAD BACK HOME
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Our journey began in San Francisco. We charted a course through the lush woods of Lake Mammoth and down towards the painted deserts of Mexico. From late winter into spring and summer. From escape to discovery and then on to new beginnings. From the things we knew and were known for, to a world rich with the possibility of the future. We ended up far from where we started. But we were very much at home. This season, we recall our journey through the American West, paying tribute to the route we took and the places we stopped. But more than the trip itself, we embrace the spirit of our adventure and the excitement of exploring new places. We combine the old with the new, our own with the found, and we explode it all into a kaleidoscopic frenzy of color, textures, materials and shapes. Where we go, we have never been before. But we feel at home, away from home.
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SEASONAL DESIGN CONCEPT: CLASSICS EXPLODED
MEN / WOMEN
For Spring/Summer 2013, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ takes a kaleidoscopic look at the classics and explodes indigo, denim, stripes and prints in unexpected ways.
Denim Exploded
Indigo Exploded
Patterns Exploded
Stripes Exploded
Using technology and craft to reimagine the texture and fabric character of premium denim.
Experimenting with new applications of pure indigo dye, the lifeblood of quality Levi’s® denim, and applying it to garments not normally seen in such rich vibrant shades of blue.
Turning iconic shapes, images and traditional fabric coloring techniques into bold all-over patterns.
Reinterpreting Levi’s® iconic striped blanket lining through new materials, colors, proportions and applications.
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SEASONAL COLOR STORY: THE PAINTED DESERT
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For Spring/Summer 2013, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ combines bright and muted desert colors in stripes and ombre finishing to mimic the vast tones of a painted desert.
TREND ALERT: VOLUME FOR WOMEN
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For Spring/Summer 2013, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ plays with volume to reimagine and re-craft classic women’s silhouettes.
Waisted Volume
Luxurious Volume
Accentuating and creating hourglass silhouettes through high waisted, belted fits with flattering gathers and pleating.
Exploring new, feminine volume in luxurious fabrications.
WOMEN
MATERIALS
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The Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ Design team scours the world to find the most luxurious and highest quality materials in existence. Working closely with the mills in Italy, Japan, Turkey and the USA, they continue to reimagine Levi’s® traditional fabrics like denim and chino, while developing new evolutions and applications of exotic knits and twills.
Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ Denim:
For Spring/Summer 2013,Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ continues to lead the industry with the most imaginative and experimental denim fabrics and finishing techniques. The seasonal color story covers all tones of blue while also offering unique shades of white, grey and black. Notable innovations include laser etching to create tonal patterns, new dying techniques and treatments that bring out the slub character and enhance the irregular overdye, as well as natural tints and dust to give many of the denims an irregular surface character that will change over time.
Leather: Like denim, leather becomes
more beautiful with time and wear. Levi’s® has used leather in its garments since it first put the leather “Two Horse Pull” patch on it’s jeans in the 1870’s. Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ uses only the finest Italian cowhide, lambskin and thin cut sheepskin bringing a luxurious edge to its jackets and other outerwear garments as well as its bags.
Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ Chino:
The design team at Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ as obsessed with chino as it is with denim. Although often disregarded lesser twill fabric, Chino is a perennial highlight of the Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ line and for Spring Summer 2013 the Brand offers an assortment of durable yet comfortable Chino fabrics in an assortment of colors. Many of the Women’s chino fabrics incorporate stretch and are overdyed and softened for a feminine feel. The Men’s fabrics are rougher and dryer in texture but are brushed and stone washed for comfort.
Cotton Cashmere: Cotton Cashmere
combines the lush, soft properties of cashmere with the open, naturally airy and open qualities of cotton. This blend is used in the Crew Knit and Cardigan Jacket.
fabric with printed dot stripes, was originally developed by J.L. Stifel and Sons, one of the oldest American indigo dyers and printers from the east coast. Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ creates a more modern version of this classic work wear fabric by blowing up the proportions and applying it to shirts and non-denim chinos.
Cotton Linen: Linen adds texture and
a hairy quality to the fabrics which in return gives a wool type of feeling. It also gives the fabric extra weight and drape. The blend is used in select nondenim bottoms, the Men’s Sack Jacket and the Women’s Swing Sack Coat.
Washed Silk: Unlike shiny, traditional silk, washed silk is a bit rougher, less precious and more interesting. It takes color in a really beautiful way. It drapes next to the skin and is a perfect example of easy luxury. Washed Silk is used in the Bliss Shirt and the One Pocket Shirt.
Wabash: Wabash, indigo dyed cotton
Cotton Silk Voiles: Similar to the cotton cashmere blends, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™’s Cotton Silk Voiles combine durable cotton with the more delicate voile material to create a sheer and airy fabric that feels incredible next to the skin. It is the perfect color and print vehicle as it is so sheer and transparent that the patterns and colors move and blend together.
DETAILS
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For Levi’s® Made & Crafted™, the difference is in the details. All the products in the collection are crafted with an almost obsessive attention to detail. And in a reverential nod to the Levi’s® Archives, many of the signature elements that appear throughout the Spring/ Summer 2013 Collection draw from iconic Levi’s® products and traditional methods of garment manufacturing.
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Arcuate Perhaps the most defining characteristic of a pair of Levi’s® jeans is the “Arcuate” stitching on the back pockets. Although it has changed shape slightly, moved around by an inch or two, and been applied by paint as well as stitched in thread, the Arcuate has been a mainstay of Levi’s® jeans since 1873. Continuing the tradition, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ jeans all feature an Arcuate. Some are stitched on the outside of the back pockets in the usual manner. But most are actually sewn into the back panel of the jeans, behind the back pocket flap. This creates a very clean back pocket to start, and then with time and wear, the Arcurate gradually shows through to the back pocket, creating a ‘ghost’ Arcuate.
Like a pair of Levi’s® jeans, 2 Pockets pockets provide warmth and protection, storage and style. The pockets used in
Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ garments all serve a purpose but at the same time help to define the distinct aesthetic of the Collection. All of the pocket shapes are inspired by garments from the Levi’s® archives. The rounded pocket shape, featured on the One-Pocket Shirt and Grand Dad Shirt, comes from the 1873 Duck Canvas Collection. This style of pocket is actually quite difficult to construct. The squarer spade-shaped pockets on the Type II Bomber Jacket and Fringed Suede Type II Jacket are derived from very early Levi’s® work wear garments. The welt pockets used in the the popular Spoke Chino are inspired by Levi’s® Khaki’s from the1920s and 1930s.
and Shanks Levi’s® has always 3 Buttons been obsessed with its trims, labeling and buttons. In the early days, many of these elements, known inside Levi’s® as “Sundries”, were developed specially
for the Brand. Today, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ continues to build off this tradition by creating thoughtful and humorous sundries for all of its products, ranging from compressed cotton, burnt wool and coated buttons, to colored snap fasteners. Unique to the Spring/Summer 2013 collection are the painted wood domed buttons with carved-out horse and bird silhouettes.
Die/Dying Techniques All of Levi’s® 4 Tie Made and Crafted’s™ tie dying is hand done, each tie dye garment is different. The beautiful, irregular and playful shapes are created by using different methods and experimenting along the way. For example, the design team was able to create the playful circles using marbles and the square shapes using chopsticks. The dye for all items is 100% genuine indigo.
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Levi’s® has been lining its 5 Stripes garments with striped blanket fabrics
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for almost a hundred years. For Spring/ Summer 2013, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ reinterprets this stripe in new colors and proportions and applies it to shirts, dresses and scarves in unexpected ways.” The Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ 6 Patterns Spring/Summer 2013 Collection owes much of its vibrancy to the assortment of unique and colorful patterns featured in the men’s and women’s tops assortment. Standout patterns include the all-over horse print, the horse shoe leopard print and the horse head print–all of which are inspired by the Levi’s® Two-Horse Pull logo—as well as an oversized wabash, checks and plaids.
Hang Tags and Packaging
Back in the day, it was common practice for Levi’s® sales representatives to personally travel to stores that were not yet carrying the brand, bringing with them a suitcase filled with a selection of fine Levi’s® products. After personally taking the store owner through the offering, they would leave a sample of the key elements that made a pair of Levi’s® jeans “positively superior”: the Cone denim, the oil cloth guarantee Ticket and of course a copper rivet to hold it all together. Although Salesmen stopped using these samples in the early 1930s, Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ has reinterpreted the concept to create unique hang tags that are affixed to each piece of Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ clothing.
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MEN’S HIGHLIGHTS: NOVEMBER-DECEMBER
MEN
Leather Biker Jacket Slim fit motorcycle jacket with talon zipper. Made in Italy from 100% Leather Sheep skin—tumbled, oiled and hand waxed.
Work Shirt 2-pocket basic work shirt with a chinstrap, fisheye buttons and twin-needle construction. Indigo printed leopard pattern shirt fabric made of 100% Cotton, washed for softness.
Tack Selvedge Crafted in Japan’s finest denim mill, this Tack’s premium selvedge denim is compact yet lightweight thanks to the extremely fine and tightly-woven yarns.
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WOMEN’S HIGHLIGHTS: NOVEMBER-DECEMBER
WOMEN
Off Road Leather Jacket Slightly cropped motorcycle jacket with Antique gold zippers and snaps, zips at cuffs, action-back vent detailing and a blood red lining. Made in Italy from 100% Leather Sheep skin—tumbled, oiled and hand waxed.
1 Pocket Shirt 1 Pocket shirt made from a luxuriously washed silk. No topstitch at collar, front placket, and shoulder seam. Hits at front top of thigh, dips lower in the back. 14L bone buttons, Slight gathers at bottom of sleeve above cuff.
Empire “Magnetic Lines” Taking our inspiration from Japanese tying techniques, we started with a super-stretch RFD fabric then hand tied and hand dipped it in black, yellow and burgundy colors to create a kaleidoscope effect. Finally, we used a proprietary technique to create the super fine Wabash lines. No two garments are alike.
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MEN’S HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY-FEBRUARY
MEN
FringeD Suede Type II Honey yellow 100% cow hide leather jacket with Type II details, a slim fit and 5-inch fringe.
Trunky Shirt Western-style shirt featuring Mexican blanketinspired Aztec diamond pattern printed onto the blushed 100% cotton fabric and stone washed for faded effect.
Tack “Blades of glory” A slim, zipper fly jean based on a classic Levi’s® fit from the 1960s. The pocket scoops and fly have a unique square shape, while the back pocket is placed in a position to flatter the backside.
Spoke Chino “Cathay Spice” Made from a cotton linen twill fabric woven exclusively for Levi’s® Made & Crafted™. Irregular slub character shines through regardless of colors. An extra step of softener is added for a soft touch.
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WOMEN’S HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY-FEBRUARY
WOMEN
Swing Sack Coat A feminine and modern take on the Levi’s® Sack Coat. A-line shape, quarter length sleeves and a snug fit at the shoulder. Made from Cotton, Tencel, Lyocell and Linen.
Wanderlust Dress Full-length maxi dress with a banded waist and an interior western yoke detail at the back. Made from 70% Cotton and 30% Silk.
Pins “Shadow Flashes” Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ skinny jean is stonewashed down to a mid blue shade and printed with wabash lines. Then the color is chipped off in varying degrees of intensity to create the geometric shapes. Finally, it’s hand sponged to fade and blend the sharp lines between the different shaded areas. Made & washed in Italy.
Empire Short “This Time” The classic cut-off is given the Made and Crafted™ Twist through color-blocked patchwork featuring different shapes and shades of indigo. Hems are kept clean with Wabash tape and the pocket bags feature horseshoe print.
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MEN’S HIGHLIGHTS: MARCH-APRIL
MEN
Sack Coat A modern update of the Lot 67 1920s Levi’s® Sack Coat, featuring brass buttons, four patch pockets and Levi’s® traditional striped blanket lining. The Wabash fabric has been washed once for softness to bring out the rich indigo shade.
Regular Tee 100% cotton sloppy-style jersey tee with a woven Mexican blanket-inspired stripe.
Tack “Black Lagoon” Levi’s® Made & Crafted™’s slim jean constructed in a over-dyed black twill fabric that is lightly scraped on top to mimic a naturally worn in pair of black jeans.
Bermuda Shorts A loose, easy volume Bermuda short with a tie waist and a bright red allover horse print pattern.
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WOMEN’S HIGHLIGHTS: MARCH-APRIL
WOMEN
Petile Shirt Leopard-printed cap sleeved shirt with back yoke western detail. Constructed of 100% cotton Japanese indigo fabric.
Singlet Indigo tie-dyed scoop neck shirt with a relaxed, A-line fit. 70% Cotton, 30% Linen.
80 Days “White Nights” This high rise jean is made from a pre-shrunk, 100% cotton indigo denim that is scraped, stonewashed and sun bleached to an almost completely white shade that has flickers of indigo peeking through. Washed in Italy.
Suede Shorts A mid-rise skinny fit short with classic Levi’s® detailing, made from 100% suede-buffalo skin.
Duo Convertible Bag Double-use bag that functions as a tote or backpack. Constructed of indigo Wabash canvas and natural cow hide leather with brass zips and buckles.
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DENIM FITS – SPRING/SUMMER 2013 HIGHLIGHTS
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Anyone can manufacture a pair of jeans, but only Levi’s® has the 501®, the original riveted denim jean from which all others are derived. Since the beginning, Levi’s® has used the 501® and its essential elements as the starting point for new styles of durable work wear bottoms. Slim, skinny, tapered, or relaxed, the different fits that Levi’s® has offered over the years all harken back to that first pair of jeans built in 1873. Today, the assortment of proprietary men’s and women’s fits in the Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ Spring/Summer 2013 Collection represent the culmination of a 140-year-long obsession over making the best fitting jeans possible.
THE Tack: Like the other Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ fits, The Tack slim fitting jean has an authentic feel but is specifically crafted for today’s body shapes. Like many of the Levi’s® jeans from the 1960s, it’s slim fitting and comes with a zipper fly. It has squarer-looking details such as the fly shape and pocket scoops. The back pocket is perfectly placed for flattering the backside.
The Ruler is a classic straight leg fit. Like the other
Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ fits, the construction methods are clean, considered and smooth to ensure a better feeling on the inside of the jean. The back pockets, fly shape and pocket scoops are all specifically designed to flatter the body shape.
The Pins jean is a low rise skinny jean with a 7” front rise and 10 1/2” leg opening. It sits low and snug on the body. The fabric is stretchy but has exceptional recovery, especially around the typical problematic areas like the knees and seat. These jeans are always given an extra step of softening to create the super soft touch that Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ is known for.
The Empire is a versatile fit that accommodates
many different female body shapes. One of the best fitting skinny jeans available, the Empire Skinny has a democratic front mid rise and a 10 1/2” leg opening. For Spring/Summer 2013, the Empire Skinny is available in the best stretch fabrics sourced from the most innovative mills in the world. These fabrics give and stretch in all the right places, yet still quickly recover their original flattering shape.
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CHINO FITS – SPRING/SUMMER 2013 HIGHLIGHTS
MEN / WOMEN
Although Levi’s® is best known for its denim jeans, the Levi’s® Made & Crafted™ Spring/Summer Collection offers an assortment of buttery soft men’s and women’s trouser-style chinos in a colorful variety of fits and fabrics.
The Spoke is Levi’s® Made & Crafted’s™ slimmest
chino. It comes in both a selvedge and non-selvedge twill, dyed in a range of colors. The garment is tumbled with an extra softening step and then brushed on both the inside and outside to create a double dose of softness.
The classic-fitting Drill features slant pockets on
the side and welt pockets in the back. The outseams are carefully hand felled, which takes twice as much time to construct, but ensures that the garment will be more comfortable and last longer.
The Slim Chino is slightly tapered with an easy,
flattering rise. The outseams are delicately hand felled like the Men’s Drill Chino. It features skinny double welt back pockets combined with stitched-through details that accentuate the back pocket shape.