Lee Jeans has jumped into the shark pool with Levi’s, and by that I mean they have entered the hectic world of denim collaborations in Japan.
This is a market Levi’s is no stranger to, they took their medium end retail product and added some signature Japanese brands to it, and out came jeans averaging $400-$1000. Their back catalog includes everything from the Andy Warhol foundation to artist Damien Hirst, whose Spin jeans were selling for $27,000 a pair.
Several brands have done the “designer for <retail brand>” concept, including Target and H&M, however collaborations between brands are often hunted down; because it’s not one brand for another, it’s the best of both brands together.
That being said Lee is working with Mastermind Japan, and the result is a pretty basic pair of raw denim jeans with skull stitching. The jeans will gain wear as the person breaks them in without washes, as all raw denim works. They are not only collaborative in nature, but also customizable by the user with wear style.
