Comments on: Hands On | Levi’s Vintage Clothing

By: DJ

DJ — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:29:11 +0000

I work for Levi’s, and can tell you that sadly, most of what is coming from the new “XX” will be produced in Turkey. (And designed/headquartered out of Belgium) Especially the products that have a “vintage wash” to them. (laundered in Italy) The premium capital E line, has been abandoned, as well as the LVC line. “XX” is geared to be a super-premium line with super-premium prices. There will be a more consistent release of archival pieces, yes. However, the country of origin will be based upon economic factors rather than skilled artisanship. My advice is to stock up on “Made in the USA” deadstock/unwashed versions on eBay or @ Cultizm. (many of which came from Taylor Togs out of North Carolina) There will be some American made ridged denim, however it will be pieced out to several different factories. (mostly in California) Please do not get too excited. It may take a season or two to work the bugs out. Thanks. DJ

By: tim simpson

tim simpson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:26:53 +0000

hi bob, if you need to see a doctor, then so do i, and a lot of other denimheads,,,i am from england, and was at school in the 1970′s, but i have often thought to myself that if i had had the chance to do what you have been doing over the years,,, that is stocking up on levis jeans,,, i would have done it,,, i have done it with the LVC jeans (1947,1955, and 1966 501xx), i also have found used 1970′s 501′s both single and double stitched (this refer’s to the stitching on the inside top of the back pockets,,,not the inseams), i would be delighted if someone with a brain would get all levis 501 jeans to be made back in the USA,,, it would be good for the US economy,,, USA jeans made with USA materials made by USA citizens, and sold to and bought by USA citizens,,, but american companys seem to have pressed the self destruct button,,, it is time for america and great britain to wake up, and start manufacturing again, before it is too late !!!!!!!!!

By: tim simpson

tim simpson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:11:16 +0000

hi michael, levis 501 jeans always had single stitched inseams (single felled) back in the good old days, they were fazed out in the mid 1980′s, single felled inseams, as they are really called, are stronger than the double felled inseams, this is because they lay flater and do not receive the wear and tear that the more pronounced double felled inseams receive, plus i feel they look better, more upmarket and classy, back in those days the hems at the bottom of the legs were chain stitched, which also looks much better, so the LVC inseams are correct, but i do feel they do seem to get one or two details wrong sometimes, i have seen and do own pairs of original vintage selvedge 501 jeans…

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:56:22 +0000

I know what you mean about the fading of genuine Levi’s quality but their vintage line of clothes are better than anything out there. In the 1970′s, when I was in my twenties, I was fortunate to have bought up new and old US-made Levi’s 501 jeans and work jackets in sizes that anticipated my subsequent growth (in girth). I have enough jeans with real selvage, color and quality to last a lifetime, but I still am acquiring those vintage Levi’s denims from European websites. I still have Levi’s I never unpacked from a foray to their shop in San Francisco in the mid-1990s when you could still buy US-made great Levi’s there. Go figure. Should I be seeing a doctor?

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:20:54 +0000

The year 2000 seems like “the good ‘ol days”. At least all 501′s were made of 14oz denim, the entry level for heavy weight denim. Now most 501′s are made of 12.5oz denim, and instead of it being called mid-weight denim, it’s now called “premium denim”. Preshrunk 501′s have been further neutured with single-stitched inseams, and the Levis Stauss Company should be ashamed of itself for making STF 501′s with mid-weight 12.5oz denim with the color black actually being made with 11.5oz denim. Isn’t most of the LVC run made with single-stitched inseams, which I do not believe to be factually correct in most instances? 505 and 517 are still advertised with 14- 14.75oz denim.

By: robbor

robbor — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:47:25 +0000

When i was a kid in the 60′s Levis were so thick and stiff you could lean them up against the wall. And wearing a new pair was torture until they softened a bit in the washer. A very, very different animal than the ones made today.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:12:41 +0000

So, where can we get these XX’s?

Regards.

By: Abby Franquemont

Abby Franquemont — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:52:40 +0000

For me the major disappointment in Levis nowadays isn’t with the cuts as it is with the low-grade denim fabric presently available. With the abandonment of US-based textile mills which made high-grade, durable denim for over a century, there’s now essentially no long-lasting and high quality denim anywhere. There was a time when Levis were a black market commodity in parts of the world where the local jeans were produced with substandard fabrics that didn’t wear well; that time is gone, and now all we have anywhere is the blue jean fabrics even the third world didn’t like 20 years ago.

I’d gladly pay top dollar for a pair of jeans with a life expectancy of more than 6 months. The trouble is, it would require a huge shift in the world’s spinning and weaving mill markets to make it happen, and with today’s consumers apparently willing to accept fabrics like those that actually gave us the word “shoddy” in the early industrial era, that’s not likely to happen.

By: money

money — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:45:33 +0000

I refuse to buy any jean on the market. The quality is gone.

You may march in the lemming parade…not my kids

By: Sean S.

Sean S. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:48:38 +0000

I cry shenanigans on the idea that there are “not enough” skilled people left in the industry. If thats the case then who the hell is American Apparel hiring? American Apparel is not a “boutique” label with a small staff; it employs some 5,000 workers in its manufacturing base. Evidently they didn’t just appear out of no where.

As AA was one of the few apparel companies that didn’t get hit hard by the recession, unlike American Eagle, Abercrombie, and others, its clear that their idea of vertical integration makes alot more sense, as it allows faster turn around time and an ability to move with the market. The 3 month float from China is clearly crippling the ability of fashion retailers to respond to what are very rapid trends in the economy and consumer spending.