Levi’s® is now releasing limited edition reprints of key archival 501®s as part of the 150th anniversary of the 501®. The next model in the collection is the 1901 “White Oak” 501®, which will be available in a limited edition of 501 pieces worldwide on Thursday, March 23.
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Made of 9-ounce Cone Mills White Oak selvedge denim, the “1901 “White Oak” 501®” is limited to 501 pieces worldwide.
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented “a method of reinforcing pocket openings with rivets” on May 20, 1873. This season, Levi’s® Vintage Clothing Spring Summer 2023 is launching a series of hand-numbered, countdown collections to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 501®. For this new collection, Levi’s® has unearthed its archives and researched old photographs from the period to create a lineup of pieces that recreate late 19th- and early 20th-century workwear. The collection recreates what miners, ranchers, and laborers would have worn 150 years ago when Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented their workwear.
©Levi Strauss & Co.
It was in 1901 that a second back pocket was added to the 501®, making it the first five-pocket jean as we know it today. This reissued version is made from 9-ounce Cone Mills White Oak selvedge denim, before the transition to 10-ounce denim. It features two back pockets with exposed rivets, a center back cinch, suspender buttons, a two-hose leather patch, crotch rivets, and a single-stitch archway on the back pocket.
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In April, we’re reissuing the 1890 model, the one that started getting prints on the slacks!
In late April, an important year for Levi’s® 501®, when Levi Strauss & Co. first began using the 501® lot number on its popular denim waist overalls, the 1890 model “1890 “White Oak” The “501®” is scheduled for release. This was also the year that the patent for garments with copper rivets expired, and the year that Levi’s® began printing information about the quality of its jeans on the inner pocket pouch to distinguish them from new competitors. This 2023 edition is made of 9 oz. Cone Mills White Oak 150-plain selvedge denim, with all the details of the original, including exposed rivet back pockets, center back cinch, and suspender buttons.
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The final model in the reissue collection, ” 1873 “XX Waist Overalls”, is a faithful reproduction of the precious jeans that started it all!
The year of the birth of the jeans that later became known as 501®, and the year 1873 when Levi Strauss received from Jacob Davis the 1873 XX Waist Overalls “Riveted Waist Overalls with patent number 139,121”. The model “1873 “XX Waist Overalls” is a high-waisted, wide-leg fit jean, like the original, with back pockets without archway stitching, a center back cinch without rivets, and waist waistband watch pockets. Other details from the period are faithfully reproduced, including crotch gussets, unbranded rivets and sewn-on buttons, all-denim pockets, and exposed selvedges on the waistband. This is a rare reissue model of the jeans that started it all.
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Paul O’Neill, Design Director of Levi’s® Vintage Clothing, said, “The 501® is an icon because it has always been true to itself. It never tried to capture fashion or change with the trends. Instead, it waited for people to find it and bring it into their world. Over the years, it has been incorporated into almost every subculture. It’s always been the ultimate blank canvas to create your own jeans, whether it’s mods cropping them small, punks bleaching them and tapering them, or hippies inserting panels at the hem to create a flare.”
[“1901 “White Oak” 501®” details
Release date: March 23 (Thu) *Member pre-sale is on March 22 (Wed)
Sales Stores
・Levis® Official Online Store
・Levis® Harajuku Flagship Store
・Levis® Store Osaka
・Levis® Store Shinjuku
