Brand Spotlight: Levi's - Topic of the day 8/9/24
"In 1853, Levi Strauss, an immigrant from Bavaria, opened a dry goods company in San Francisco at the height of the California Gold Rush. He and tailor Jacob Davis combined copper rivet reinforcements with tough denim, leading to the first manufactured waist overalls in 1873, now known as blue jeans."
50 Replies
I mean Levi's are a symbol but they are mall fashion. Their modern QC is terrible, they often lag on their cuts being adapted to trends. Overall they are much worse post 90s bankruptcy.
Also super overpriced outside of the US
Levi's are cool cause it can be mall fashion or it can be vintage-lover fashion - depending on where you're sourcing your jeans from
This is an insult to the city of San Francisco’s fashion industry 🤬
Bad QC just means every pair is unique
Bad qc now :mryuk:
Bad qc 100 years ago- denim nerds will go to great lengths to replicate in exact detail
Quality on modern jeans is weird, depending on the batch some really suck and some are pretty good. overall mine have held up pretty well
I really like their jackets, I've had a corduroy type 3 for 5 years, wearing it all the time, and it's still in amazing shape. I've probably worn it for like 500+ days total
also they're alright for leather belts that arent too expensive
I’m not sure I understand how Levi’s are mall fashion? What defines mall fashion? What are other types and examples of fashions?
Levi’s for me are just consistent. My biggest issue with them is the same with most clothing - it can’t stand up as much as clothing used to. Don’t think they’re unique in that regard
It means they have a store at the mall
I think
They’re at every mall basically
That could be said for most clothing though
Untrue
How so?
I mean it is
90% of the brands popular here either don't have individual stores and likely don't have a stockist at a mall
Unless you live in a bougie area most malls don't have designer or designer stockists
Most niche foreign brands aren't stocked in malls
Ah okay. I guess I’m not buying bougie expensive clothing then
Just cause it's at a mall doesn't mean it's bad though
Dismissing brands because they're generic is classic fashion victim mentality
Was gonna say lol
I buy designer but I also see the value in Levi's and own multiple non-vintage pairs
501, 550, 517 are all great silhouettes
I'm surprised your experience with Levi's has been consistency when they have famously bad qc
I love Levi's tho
I always buy my Levi's secondhand so I guess I have less of a meticulous eye to quality
Every pair of Levi's I've purchased was less than $30
No same
They fill the role of inexpensive jeans, I'm not looking for high-end quality y'know
I think if u buy secondhand that definitely dodges the sizing issues
OOO we're talking about tagged sizing vs. actual (measured) size
Ya Levi's never are their tagged size 😩
I don't know if I'd call that QC though? More like brand subjective vanity sizing?
imo Levi’s are sick! i prefer vintage Levi’s sourced cheaply from Ebay and flea markets where possible. the lived in look and feel of beat up jeans and jean jackets is always gonna feel cool to me 😎 currently i own vintage made in US pair of 505s, silver tab baggies, and 2 denim jackets. i got them all for $20 or less a pop secondhand
Hmm the last time I bought Levi's new was in 2017 and I had tagged 29-31 that all fit the same
Is the QC bad for actual size of the jeans? If so I guess I’m lucky. Like I know if I get 33X30 in Levi’s it’ll fit every time
yes, Levi's stacks a bunch of denim on to of each other when it cuts them
so they are infamously incredibly inconsistent
Interesting 🤔 I feel lucky then lol
I do wanna pick up one of their denim jackets
I hve a denim jacket I like but it’s definitely better suited for colder weather. Getting a lighter denim jacket, throw a patch or two on there maybe a pin
How cool are 90s silvertabs?
I like mine but I feel like they're somewhat derivative?
they're jeans
they're all derivative of other jeans
going all the way back to the first jeans
i think 90s silvertabs are sick! if you enjoy wearing them that’s all that matters 😎
Levi's is one of my favorite brands to buy vintage. Lots of cool, distressed pairs available for cheap, which makes it easy to experiment with things. Vintage pairs are more consistent as well since you get exact measurements from sellers.
Can't say I'm too interested in their new stuff. Their repro lines look nice but very expensive compared to repro brands offering a similar (or better) product. Their more recent vintage-inspired fabrics made with hemp seem cool though. I've thought about buying their Type 1 in it.
What are the brands worth looking into that are comparable but less expensive?
For repro items? I really like Sugar Cane and Warehouse. TCB seems to get a ton of love as well, although I haven't worn their stuff before.
The Levi’s trucker that my dad bough growing up in NC is a beloved item for me and one of the cornerstones of my wardrobe both for sentimental value and because it looks cool
I inherited these fades
Aside from that I don’t engage with the brand that much
Levi's designs are iconic, the actual clothes... kinda mid
Wrangler >>>>
Facts
I like my 80s/90s pairs of 550s
But comparing my cowboy cut jeans with my 501 STF, it’s really no contest
pretty much twice the price here 😂
(France)
(and on the US website:)
def always check ebay if you are in europe
for second hand?
to get vintage?
both
plus always a chance you can use the ebay shipping program if the shipping isn't stupid expensive from an american who will be selling at american prices
gotcha
I'll have a look ty
and yeah no shipping from US + the customs fees would 100% be more than the cost of the jeans 😂
so so many Levis on eBay and Vinted in the UK and EU
My jean jacket is levi's and I love it so levi's is cool 😎 also they have big and tall sizes, unlike some more indie jean brands so I want to buy some soon hopefully
Levi's red made the best jeans that have ever existed
This. Depop is also swimming in Levi’s. Price of new Levi’s in Europe are a total rip off.
One of my jeans had the inner seam warp around my leg and be in front
Bad QC is real
Hey people pay good money for leg twist
This is very much a thing that vintage/raw denim nerds actively search out haha. It’s a general characteristic of denim fabric so I personally wouldn’t call it a qc issue