It’s taken nearly 172 years, but the black-tie dress code is about to be cracked by the iconic maker of working-class jeans, Levi’s, taking down semiformal and cocktail attire in its crumbling wake.
With a new range aimed at reclaiming its designer denim credentials from luxury labels charging as much as $1700 for a pair of jeans, the American workwear brand founded in 1853 is finally ready for the red carpet – weddings, parties, anything.
Levi’s premium Blue Tab collection was launched in Tokyo in January and featured suits designed for formal occasions.Credit:
“I want to take Blue Tab somewhere that can be more formal … more elevated and sophisticated,” says Paul O’Neill, creative director of Levi’s Collections. “Denim isn’t only for the streets. I want it to be able to be worn in many other places.”
The ruffled tuxedo shirts with button-down collars and unstructured denim blazers revealed at the Tokyo debut of the Blue Tab collection in January are office-ready, but it’s O’Neill’s own suit jacket from a coming range that will have wedding planners saying “I do”.
At a passing glance, the jacket looks like it’s made from a luxurious tweed with a rich twill, but it’s actually a denim treatment that passes for marriage material.
“I could wear something like this to a wedding,” O’Neill says. “It’s purposefully unstructured and relaxed, but feels elevated enough to me.
“I think it’s important for Levi’s to invest in this premium market.”
Rather than tap influencers such as Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Levi’s new campaign star Beyoncé for inspiration, the starting point for O’Neill’s wedding-worthy suit was crooner and 1950s movie star Bing Crosby.
After the singer was refused entry to a Canadian hotel in 1951 because he was wearing jeans, Levi’s created a denim tuxedo for Crosby with a leather patch verifying it as formal attire. The Canadian Tuxedo was born.
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” O’Neill says. “Now we can introduce the more formal look that can be worn on different occasions.”
“We have such a strong history with denim. When we celebrate the past, it is really important to show the future.”
For a brand founded to outfit the working man – eventually acknowledging the working woman in 1932 with Lady Levi’s – democratic staples remain firmly in the mix.
Classics such as the 501 jeans (made famous by Bruce Springsteen, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean) and fitted trucker jackets have been enhanced by premium denims and stitching techniques developed in Japanese factories.
While jeans in Levi’s regular Red Tab range start at $129.95, the Blue Tab range takes a step up, starting at $329.95.
“In our world, it’s luxury,” O’Neill says. “I don’t think of it as a luxury brand. It’s a premium denim brand. If you look at a luxury denim brand, it’s a huge leap forward with the price. We are not quite up at $1000 jeans.
“I do think that we are providing something that is a superior product to most of the luxury denim brands that cost $1000.”
Even $1000 is conservative pricing in that department. The bootleg jeans from French luxury label Celine, worn by rapper Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl half-time show, cost $1700 and promptly sold out. Cropped denim jackets from Prada cost $3500, while baggy Balenciaga jeans cost $2350.
For O’Neill, who has worked at Levi’s for 15 years and also oversees its vintage collections, the price tags are the most impressive part of the competition’s offering.
“When you see a luxury brand doing denim and not having … the right designer who understands it, all of a sudden, they have something that doesn’t look good.”
While profits are important for Levi’s, which reported $US6.4 billion ($10 billion) in revenue under new chief executive Michelle Gass in 2024, the company is content playing the long game. Blue Tab is not about breaking the rules or dress codes. It’s about maintaining relevance.
“I’m holding this sacred product,” O’Neill says. “We are not chasing trends. Sometimes you just look at something and know it feels right.”
The jeans for 2025
Straight leg
This classic style, which suits most body types, was recently worn by Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games. Bottega Veneta revived it in 2023, but Levi’s has been making this classic “for 150 years”, O’Neill says.
Denim styles (left to right): Straight leg, Levi’s 501s, $129.95; barrel leg, Alaia acid wash, $1194, netaporter; skinny jeans, $149, Calvin Klein.Credit:
Barrel leg
These horseshoe-shaped jeans have gained popularity with women, offering more structure than a wide-leg jean, while balancing broad shoulders and skimming pear-shaped figures. Leave the sneakers at home. Best worn with slippers or kitten heels.
What about skinny jeans?
They’re having a moment for the fashion-forward. Remember, skinny jeans won’t make your legs skinny. Look for styles with higher waists to avoid unwelcome underwear sightings.
The writer travelled to Tokyo as a guest of Levi’s.
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