Photo: Juergen Teller
For serious denim collectors, wearing a certain Levi’s tab can be the ultimate status symbol. The label’s Orange tab, for one, is a holy grail for 1960s-era flared jeans; the Silver tab reflects grungier styles from the 1980s and 1990s. Some Red tabs, featuring a rare capital “E” on the word “Levi’s,” have even sold for a whopping $6,000 online. Each tab the iconic denim brand releases, garners its own devoted cult following. And now, Levi’s is releasing a brand new one—its most premium tab yet.
Dubbed the Blue Tab, the new collection releases on February 1 in Japan, and will arrive in the U.S. in April. The new Blue tab features premium Japanese selvedge denims, and serves up more elevated, modern silhouettes. Pieces in the line—which were photographed in a campaign by Juergen Teller at a traditional Japanese tea house—retail from $78 to $398, a slightly higher price point for the brand.
Of course, made-in-Japan jeans are nothing new for Levi’s. For years now, the Levi’s Vintage Clothing line has been producing select styles in Japan. Now, the label is building on that expertise. “We have a long history working with Japan, and we wanted to give that a collection,” says Paul O’Neill, Levi’s design director. While the product is rooted in Japanese craft, the pieces still evoke that signature Levi’s Americana. “We wanted something contemporary, relevant, and on-trend,” says O’Neill. “The Blue Tab is a more sophisticated denim look.”
Photo: Juergen Teller
What sets the Blue Tab apart from other Levi’s offerings is best noticed behind-the-scenes. All of the Blue Tab pieces are produced in Japan’s Kaihara Denim Mill, the same factory that has been producing some of its Vintage line for years. “We knew their expertise and how good they were, and they were open to doing more experimental stuff with us,” says O’Neill. “The Japanese are really becoming leaders in the denim industry when it comes to construction, beautiful fabrications, and amazing washes.”
At the Japanese factory, the pieces go through a slower, more laborious production process than other pairs, via a variety of hand touches such as dyeing process, and distressing. (Even its classic styles, like the 502 and 511 jeans, have been re-worked in new fabrications.) “We used special dye and spinning techniques to create these irregularities [in the selvedge jeans],” says O’Neill. “People like selvedge denim because it’s traditional—it’s historic. Up until the 1980s, it was the only way denim was made; Selvedge denim was made on a shuttle loom, which is a much slower process.”
The new, revamped Blue Tab logo takes inspiration from the Levi’s archives—drawing inspiration from typography found on a 1925 stock issuance certificate.
Photo: Courtesy of Levi's
In addition to the hand-crafted fabrication, the Blue Tab collection also branches out from just jeans, also offering jackets, blazers, chambray shirting, and dresses that can all be mix-and-matched. Longtime Levi’s fans may be surprised to find dressier staples in the mix, like a denim blazer, or a powder-blue Scout jacket or utility dresses. “We wanted to create a head-to-toe look with the product,” says O’Neill. “Breaking out of the confinesof what is expected from classic Levi's denim pieces—trying to bring denim into a new environment, or a different occasion.”
Many of the pieces, unsurprisingly, took inspiration from Japanese street style, and the effortless way that locals piece an outfit together. “We were definitely interested in how they wear certain lengths and proportions,” says O’Neill. “Everything is very considered, even down the copper and silver buttons. We were always thinking about ways to elevate.”
Photo: Juergen Teller
Photo: Juergen Teller
For diehard denim lovers, then, the new Levi’s tab may not be the splashiest, but that’s intentional. Instead of offering groundbreaking silhouettes or avant-garde opieces, the label is banking on a true love for the jean-making process. “The classic red tab was designed so people could see a pair of Levi’s from across the room. Now, you kind of have to look twice here,” says O’Neill. “I like that.” Does the design director see the Blue Tab having the same kind of cult following as, say, the Orange or White tabs? “I hope so, yeah. That'd be cool.”