As This Japanese Collaborator Knows, Levi's Denim Is at Its Best Super Wide
BEAMS might be Levi's best collaborator. The Japanese megaretailer has a knack for turning the American denim giant's most ordinary items into sublimely special statement pieces as wearable as their original iterations.
And BEAMS knows it. Its Super-Wide Levi's Denim collection was too good for only one drop, so BEAMS reissued the extra-loose jeans 'n jackets last winter with a wider international launch because these things are so good that everyone's gotta check 'em out. Speaking from experience, here!
Come 2025, Levi's and BEAMS are doing the dang thing one more time, re-releasing their max-loose denim designs in shades of rigid and washed black, instead of the usual faded indigo.
As usual, the BEAMS x Levi's affair includes a loosened Levi's 1st denim jacket and 501 jeans to match, with a sizeable T-shirt bringing the branding.
The jacket and jeans are comparatively modest with their branding, solely denoting the nature of the collaboration with stacked leather patches.
This is a collaboration centered on design, rather than mere graphic appeal. BEAMS really did something special by stretching out the top blocks of these Levi's layers, transforming the jacket into a generous piece of outerwear that can fit over anything or be worn on its lonesome due to the inherent lightness of the denim. And the generous cut of the BEAMS x Levi's 501 jeans makes them far more dynamic than a conventional pair.
It's really good stuff, far more considered than the typical Levi's team-up if I do say so meself.
BEAMS is, as usual, starting the year off on a collaborative hot streak, having made the most of its many 2024 partnerships between denim-fitted cars, hybrid sneakers and all the rest. The only problem is, despite the short-lived BEAMS store in America, these collaborative Levi's aren't guaranteed to release overseas, as the last set did. Well, there's always next time.
