Levi’s is marking the 50th anniversary of its long-time collaborator, the Japanese clothing brand Beams, with a special collection.
On Saturday, the San Francisco-based denim brand will launch a three-way collaboration with Beams and Loopwheeler, a Japanese apparel brand known for the traditional ways it produces sweatshirts.
The limited-edition six-piece collection features a Super Wide Trucker and a Super Wide Pant—styles that carry forward the super-wide fits established in previous Levi’s x Beams collections—and a bandana. The pieces are available in grey melange and navy—colors that Levi’s said are closely associated with Loopwheeler.
Each piece is made with Loopwheeler’s signature “Tsuriami” fabric made on Tsuriamiki, a type of circular knitting machine that operates through belts and pulleys and is powered by a single motor. The machine rotates just 24 times per minute, which allows the yarn to remain relaxed and creates a natural softness. In comparisons, Loopwheeler says modern machines rotate 240 times per minute.
The Super Wide Trucker is built on the classic Type I trucker silhouette. It has co-branded logos at the cuff and front pocket. The Super Wide Pant has color-blocked arcuate stitching at the back pockets, a co-branded back patch and a Loopwheeler clip-on front pocket.
The collection is completed by a set of bandanas in red and blue, which draw on heritage Levi’s designs.
For the collection’s campaign, Levi’s and Beams shot on location in Oakland, Calif. in the spirit of the 1969 film “Easy Rider.” Levi’s said the imagery centers on two riders from different generations sharing the same DNA with “nothing posed, everything ridden.” Fronting the campaign is Max Schaaf, an Oakland-based pro skateboarder, custom motorcycle builder, and founder of 4Q Conditioning, whose lifelong relationship with Levi’s “makes him less a model than a genuine embodiment of American street culture,” the brand stated.
Additionally, a companion documentary-style film spotlights Loopwheeler’s fabric. The film traces the fabric’s origins in Wakayama, Japan where Loopwheeler’s century-old factory transforms raw yarn into fleece by hand. Levi’s said the film “moves through the machines, the hands, and the process behind the garment, offering proof of the craft in motion.”
This is the fifth collaboration between Levi’s and Beams. Previous collections have focused on denim with exaggerated silhouettes and inside-out constructions.
The Levi’s x Beams and x Loopwheeler collection will launch on Oct. 17 at select Beams stores in Japan. The collection will launch on Levi.com and select Levi’s stores globally on Oct. 22, and Oct. 23 on Beams America. The collection’s retail price range is $30-$350.