Levi's RED

[alitarbegshe]

Maynard Friedman, I was the one posted in 2008.

Ok, so the design team for Levi RED were based out of Belgium, led by Rikke Korffe, with input from Levi’s Historian Lynne Downey  in San Francisco

The 1st giant was made in Spain , but the denim was sourced from Turkey together with LVC 201’s at the time

 

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FUN FACT  A pair of LVC 501 1947’s were £100 full price back in 00/01.  Thats $110 USD before tax.

How times have changed.

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I loved them , and picked a pair up every season from ‘99 to ‘05

Prices started from £80  for the 1st collection , but had escalated to around £150 by ‘05.

Though they did turn up at times in  TKMaxx at bargain prices 

They were very design led .Forward looking, but at the same time referencing the past.

Sizing was all over the shop  though.

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FUN FACT 2:  pre 2001 there was  about practically no information on selvedge on the internet. At all.

times have changed

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It’s interesting. Levis RED got hated on these parts back in the day every time it got mentioned. Mainly because it didn’t adhere to the “Japanese selvedge  traditional heritage look” 

Personally, with age the pendulum has swung the other way. I am less design led and now lead with fit.

For the £500 asked for in some quarters, O would rather take a pair of Lot 1 bespoke Jeans.

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Any question you have, fire away, see what I can do to answer them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by alitarbegshe
Additional information

[MJF9]

@alitarbegshe Good to hear your recollections. Do you still have any of your Reds from back then? Would be great to see pics...

Slight digressions...

This reminded me that the UK cost of buying from the US has definitely swung the wrong way for Brits since 1999 

1st Oct 1999 : £1 = $1.65

9th May 2019 : £1 = $1.3

For comparison, my recently purchased Mister Freedom chinos were $330... or £250... would be £200 at 1999 exchange rates... 25% increase!

Also, I ordered them online from MF in the US on Wednesday night and received them at my door in the UK on Friday afternoon!

Times change.

[alitarbegshe]

Unfortunately not. They got moved on or donated a long time ago.

There was a Japanese collector who who had every season on his blog, but it looks like the link doesn’t work anymore

Lol, I remember back in maybe 2003, Levi’s boutique store, Cinch , the price of LVC jumped from £100 to £130 overnight.

I asked about this and was given the simple answer “we are keeping up with the market”

ie Evisu is charging that much, so will we.

Edited May 12, 2019 by alitarbegshe

[alitarbegshe]

P.S

A press article from ‘00 regarding LVC and the RED collection

 

Better RED then dead

Edited May 12, 2019 by alitarbegshe

[Maynard Friedman]

Thanks for that link @alitarbegshe - £85!  Oh for a return to the good old days...  

[unders]

I remember Levi’s Red fondly. I was slightly astonished that something so forward-looking and unconventional were sold alongside LVC at Cinch. Unfortunately I always thought the fits were just too out-there for me to pull off so never bought a pair, but my favourite t shirt I have ever owned is Levi’s Red one. It looks like more of a rag than a t shirt now, and I only wear it a couple of times a year as it’s very near the end of its natural life. The fit is reminiscent of a 30s LVC tee with its short sleeves, and I always thought the chest pocket was a nod to a 50s tee, but it being Levi’s Red it’s asymmetrical. 

Apart from the fit my favourite touch is the barely visible leaves on the back. Bought around 2002.

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2019 by unders

[S-Town]

I think those are feathers, man. Hopefully that doesn't change your opinion of that soldier! There's still some life left in that bad boy.

[unders]

Correct! They are definitely feathers. 

[Maynard Friedman]

Kickstarting this thread (again!)...

6 minutes ago, unders said:

Levi’s RED has made a return in Japan

https://www.levi.jp/2021ss_LevisRed_men.html

 

 

[unders]

Thanks for sticking this in the right thread @Maynard Friedman  Your forum etiquette is far superior to mine.

The prices seem far more palatable this time round. As the poster at the top of this page said, I recall the prices rising astronomically for RED jeans at rrp. 

Edited January 31, 2021 by unders
typo

[heyson]

Does anyone know if they will ship to US?

[unders]

I don’t think Levi’s Japan offer int’l shipping. You could go via ZenMarket. Reggie Shop and Right-On have some items too. @heyson

[heyson]

Thanks @unders!

[unders]

Article on Red with some pics of some earlier models. 

https://fashiontechnews.zozo.com/en/culture/levisred?page=1

The real gold is the Instagram links at the end of the article for a group of Japanese collectors called the Red Club. According to the article one of them checks Mercari once an hour for new Red items - can’t be healthy. 

[Maynard Friedman]

33 minutes ago, unders said:

According to the article one of them checks Mercari once an hour for new Red items - can’t be healthy. 

I heard rumours of a Denime fan who does the same thing…

thanks for the interesting article @unders

[MJF9]

Good article @unders - nice to see their world

I sold my Reds last summer - they were made from hemp-blended denim fabric they mentioned in the article

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

Many thanks unders for sharing. I still have a few pairs from the 1st series and three pieces from 2008 collection, all barely worn yet.

great to see eventually some decent worn in pairs:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyjmX59hnmc/

Edited January 17 by Sympathy-For-The-Denim

[beautiful_FrEaK]

10 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

I heard rumours of a Denime fan who does the same thing…

thanks for the interesting article @unders

Once an hour? Amateur.... Doesn't seem to really want it

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

here is my humble collection, I used to sell the "1st comfort" unfortunately few years ago,

the one the right below is womens pair... the only thing I refuse wearing them are the exposed back pocket rivets,

which come in beautiful gold / brass colour.

Edited January 17 by Sympathy-For-The-Denim

[unders]

Very nice @Sympathy-For-The-Denim Were you ever tempted by that wild bow-leg model? 

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

@unders, actually yes, I have three pairs of that 2008 collection which are the bow legs, the insane inseam and a skinny fit. All bought from Ebay though and also unworn, since I just bought them for collectors reasons... do you have any pair from the REDs?

 

[unders]

@Sympathy-For-The-Denim I got a few tees from the early seasons but never any of the jeans. Always seemed a bit out there at the time and the LVC stuff had my attention in Cinch moreso, but I remember them very fondly. 

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

while digging in my Ikea Denim boxes I was happy to find accidentally (thought I had sold 'em years ago) the aformentioned "1st Comfort" hemp mix version in pristine condition, so to complete the foto of my collection: 

Edited February 10 by Sympathy-For-The-Denim