Levi's gives old denims the boot
Re-used denim shoes.
Armed with an ongoing supply of vintage Levi's from European suppliers, the brand has reconstructed its lost and forgotten's into a limited-edition collection of sneakers.
Priced from $89.95 for the low-cut shoe and $99.95 for the boot style, the sneakers are manually cut-to-measure and feature an authentic Levi's jeans upper.
Levi's Australian representative Grant Arkins said one pair of jeans created two pairs of shoes with the watch pocket, yellow stitching, belt loops and buttons all used in the production process.
"We were looking for a product to be unique and original," he said. "They are completely unique and no two pairs are the same as they are made from jeans so each panel in the shoe is different."
Arkins said the brand was aiming to secure 30 nationwide retailers for the launch, with styles arriving in-store as early as March. Point of sales displays produced from Levi's jeans would act to promote the product locally, he said.
"We are hoping to attract attention to the fact that Levi's are also a footwear and lifestyle brand and expose other Levi's shoes we have in the product range," Arkins said, adding that a PR drive was also in the works. "We would still like to keep the re-used denim shoes as a limited edition venue for cool retailers."
The denim shoe venture follows hot on the heels of Levi's recent collaboration with Dutch artist Lennard Schuurman. Schuurman, who is a renowned illustrator and graphic designer, produced a limited range of T-shirts for Levi's over the spring/summer 2008 season. Featuring two styles for men and one for women, the $59.95 shirts were inspired by an eclectic mix of comics, old animation movies, street art, tattoo designs, Brazil, nature, myths and fairytales.
The re-used denim shoes were officially launched at the Australian Shoe Fair earlier this month.
By Assia Benmedjdoub