Levi’s Spring Summer 2021 collection is titled Loose Fix – the same as Happy Monday’s first EP from 1991 Loose Fix, featuring A side Loose fit and B side Bob’s Yer Uncle. This collection takes from the Levis archive and the album covers of Happy Mondays in their heyday. It pays homage to the sound and style of an era that has left an international mark on music and fashion.
Today, Levi's winks to the illicit nature of parties and gatherings during the pandemic with this nostalgic collection. Designs worn by ravers have been taken from the Levi's archive and put back into production including iconic parkas and jackets. During a time we long for a sweaty reckless party, this collection fits the zeitgeist. The Manchester scene, lasting between the eighties and nineties, was characterised by a meeting of alternative rock and dance culture to the beat of DJs spinning acid house in an important culture of clubbing – and raving. Kids would wear dead-stock 70s Levi's flares extra oversized to stand out from the crowd and move on the dancefloor. Loose fix feels nostalgic and relevant –illegal socialising takes on new meanings today, and psychedelia is back on trend. Levi's has made the smart choice to design the largest and baggiest jeans we’ve ever seen from them – the new 517 Orange Tab jeans, revitalising the vintage raver style.
Yet, in conversation with the cover-artists at Central Station, with whom he collaborated, Paul O’Neil, Head designer of Levi’s Vintage Clothing, centres instead on the image of an empty field- rather than one full of partiers. The collection features this image, of an empty field, from the Delightful EP sleeve in the construction of a hoodie and hang tag. Paul says, “the Delightful sleeve is my single favourite design to come out of Factory Records…it seemed like a new day” and Pat, of Central Station explains, “the artwork was about distilling that moment when you see something in nature that stops you in your tracks, snaps you out of whatever bullshit you’re stressing over and connects you back to the bigger picture.”
Yet, in conversation with the cover-artists at Central Station, with whom he collaborated, Paul O’Neil, Head designer of Levi’s Vintage Clothing, centres instead on the image of an empty field- rather than one full of partiers. The collection features this image, of an empty field, from the Delightful EP sleeve in the construction of a hoodie and hang tag. Paul says, “the Delightful sleeve is my single favourite design to come out of Factory Records…it seemed like a new day” and Pat, of Central Station explains, “the artwork was about distilling that moment when you see something in nature that stops you in your tracks, snaps you out of whatever bullshit you’re stressing over and connects you back to the bigger picture.”
