In addition to the hand-crafted fabrication, the Blue Tab collection also branches out from just jeans, also offering jackets, blazers, chambray shirting, and dresses that can all be mix-and-matched. Longtime Levi’s fans may be surprised to find dressier staples in the mix, like a denim blazer, or a powder-blue Scout jacket or utility dresses. “We wanted to create a head-to-toe look with the product,” says O’Neill. “Breaking out of the confinesof what is expected from classic Levi’s denim pieces—trying to bring denim into a new environment, or a different occasion.”
Many of the pieces, unsurprisingly, took inspiration from Japanese street style, and the effortless way that locals piece an outfit together. “We were definitely interested in how they wear certain lengths and proportions,” says O’Neill. “Everything is very considered, even down the copper and silver buttons. We were always thinking about ways to elevate.”
Photo: Juergen Teller
Photo: Juergen Teller
For diehard denim lovers, then, the new Levi’s tab may not be the splashiest, but that’s intentional. Instead of offering groundbreaking silhouettes or avant-garde opieces, the label is banking on a true love for the jean-making process. “The classic red tab was designed so people could see a pair of Levi’s from across the room. Now, you kind of have to look twice here,” says O’Neill. “I like that.” Does the design director see the Blue Tab having the same kind of cult following as, say, the Orange or White tabs? “I hope so, yeah. That’d be cool.”
