Aww-- a topic I feel like I can totally speak about!!! As a former Levi’s employee, there is rhyme and reason behind the manufacturing of each garment based on which tier it belongs. A notable brand for the masses, Levi’s makes itself accessible to everyone by offering the same garments under different price points. Of course, there are fairly notable differences within each price point, although most of these differences can be seen in the jeans, and much less so their outerwear such as the Sherpa Trucker. As of 2018, Levi’s has created signifiers to denote each tier. Some of these have changed with the changing retail climate (in reference to the further usage of laser finishing technology to become more eco-friendly as reported by BoF). Below are the tiers: Tier 1 (Levi’s Vintage Clothing, Levi’s Made and Crafted): Leather back patches, a flag to denote the country of the denim’s origin (US or Japan-- especially important with the closing of Cone Mills), an informational focus on the weight and fabric structure of the denim, hand-painted fading. Tier 2 (Levi’s Mainline aka Premium): Leather back patches, reinforced stitching on all stress point of the jeans, double stitching on hem, higher quality denim Tier 3 (outlets): cardboard back patches, single stitching on hem, utilization of slub yarn With every rule comes exceptions. Levi’s Made and Crafted is focused on the design of denim (think of the denim artistry of Japanese designers) and Levi’s Vintage Clothing focuses on the brand’s 147 long heritage. Although both of these collections within the brand harken to a higher quality in general, there are certain exceptions that are made to stay true to the design aesthetic or historic accuracy. For design (LMC collections), if nep denim-- a form of slub yarn typically used in outlet garments-- creates the perfect texture for a co-ord denim ensemble: a Levi’s Type II trucker with 511 jeans, they’ll do it for the sake of design. I believe it’s the Fashion Archive who often mentions Rei Kawakubo and her fabric choices when it comes to design and aesthetic in that if a cheaper fabric will help her achieve her vision, she’ll opt for the cheaper fabric than the more expensive one. For historic accuracy (LVC collections), certain weights and design details that are typically now considered lower tier were at point a staple depending on the decade. The best example of this is the 1944 501. The Second World War forced US clothing manufacturers (as mandated by the government) to remove a certain amount of metal and fabric from their garments to conserve raw materials for the war effort. The result was the removal of watch pocket rivets, the cinch and the crotch rivet. Although the most notable change in the jeans is the hand-painted arcuate in the back. I had a lot of customers return this particular pair back in the day because they thought that the hand-painted arcuate was a mistake. After explaining this long-winded history tidbit, they feel as if I’ve told a tall tale to prevent them from returning the jeans (half of which is true). As for vintage shopping, there is some truth with the fetishizing of how heritage brands used to create better products. As with many companies, Levi’s has had its ups and downs, and its collections are usually tell-tale signs of these zeitgeists. The late 2000s was not necessarily the best time for the brand, and it showed in the retention of particular lot numbers (fits of jeans) and structural detailing. Within its men’s lines, the late 2000s saw a varying form of slim fit in the arms (to a point where the arms felt tight regardless of build a la Saint Laurent under Hedi Slimane). Hence, trying to purchase something from these years won’t necessarily bode well for a vintage shopper. HOWEVER-- vintage Levi’s does not necessarily mean better either. Remember that in the history of denim, the utilization of elastane or any form of stretch fabric is fairly new. This means that the further back you go, more often than not, the stiffer the denim gets. Some might like this quality in denim, I personally correlate this to outlet products. But there are some great finds if you do go vintage shopping. The current Stay Loose collection in the website is a great reflection of the JNCO and FUBU era of the ‘90s. I’ve always loved the looser, almost balloon-like structure of outerwear arms from this era, and it was something I often thrifted for while I worked at Levi’s because the majority of our trucker jackets at the time had fairly tapered arms. I also suggest most pieces with orange tabs or Big E’s generally. I truly loved this episode, and I love that it’s on Sherpas! I like that you noticed the snap-buttons on the Mainline trucker. I can tell you that the feel of the mainline sherpa trucker feels better than the outlet trucker. The denim feels less rough and the sherpa seems better milled. But I hated the snap buttons, and would 100% prefer the buttons if I had the choice… but I also wouldn’t spend the amount to purchase a sherpa trucker from the LVC or LMC collection. Although the Type II LMC Sherpa is a true stunner!!!
hey Krisnoff thank u for this super detailed comment, read through all of it and I'll for sure keep your comments on vintage in mind if I go ahead and make a follow up specifically about vintage Levis. Ultimately tho, while I have only really experienced 1 M+C piece, if I do pick up a "Levi's Vintage" brand item I'm hoping to be more impressed.
These days it seems that the Levi's Outlet Stores sell the mainline product (Tier 2) - especially last year's washes or odd-size lots. They even sell the current product at full retail! But what about the brands that Levi's makes for discount stores like Target and Wal-Mart? ("Signature by Levi Strauss" - with a back patch that does not have the two-horse logo, no arcuate stitching, and a lower price point than Tier 2) I haven't analyzed the quality of this line, but I presume that it would be Tier 3 in your categorization.
What tier does the stay loose collection fall under? I just bought a pair made out of cottonized hemp and I’m wondering if they will last as long as a normal pair of Levi’s jeans.
that would be interesting, if they do have a nyc store now hopefully it will be easier to pick up a Purple Label piece rather than having to buy through a proxy
I am obsessed with Levi denim. This has been very good and I am very happy to see that someone else gets fixated on current garments and the vintage look and 90s garments
these are some of my favorite videos, and i think they really are nice to watch when paired with your discussion videos. great work christian, i really appreciate the work you’re doing on youtube
Feel like ever since Levi’s shutdown their last US factory, the quality has gone down a bit. Most of their higher end/selvedge/raw denim is made in Turkey now I think.
They do have some made in Japan and more upscale sub brands LVC which has better quality. However at prices rivaling Evisu, I'm not sure who the target market is.
I prefer the standard fit Levi's type 3 trucker jackets as it builds the shoulders and slims the waist more in my opinion, bringing out the V-taper in men, enhancing masculine features. Solid video bro first time running into your channel!
@@BraveNewWear I agree bro I find the sleeves uncomfortable to be around my thumb area and find it gets in the way and prefer them not as long. It also makes me look shorter which is the last thing I need lol.
This specific comparison was really good! I think if you could do a similar video to orange tab Levi jeans to the regular mainline Levi’s denim that would be dope. Take care.
Or even just the vintage Levi’s collection, versus the regular Levi’s you can get off the website because the older orange tab Levi’s are harder to get
yeah I know orange tab has its own following, heard different people tell me different things about what the orange tab "means" so i'll need to really investigate in order to get some answers
Would love to hear how to identify a better quality vintage pieces. There are plenty of vintage Levi's in my local thrift shops and I have no idea which are worth buying and what to look for :////
totally Patryk, theres apparently a lot of different details, features, etc that u can use to identify modern levis from the 90s, 80s and onward, its a pretty interesting topic I'd just want to make sure I get my hands on enough good pieces to show off
When I was first building my wardrobe I saw pics of a Maison Kitsune white sherpa lined, black corduroy jacket and immediately fell in love with it's image. I like clothes with as close a fit as possible. I couldn't find the jacket in my size and eventually couldn't find it at all, so I took to ebay. I've had a sherpa lined trucker jacket XS 70520 with quilted internal sleeves for about 4 years now and it is one of the warmest jackets I own. The waist falls a little higher than the two vintage designs in this video but not as high as the sherpa panel one. I can't date it unfortunately. It has a dark but fading denim that is nice with a black and white checkered scarf. I think it's (not formal but) one degree more formal than say, an m65 field jacket, and you could wear it with a sweater and a tie and be only near the border of being mismatched (if you have to dress to general taste). That's a lot going for a jacket that also looks good on top of a beer stained grey hoodie. You look super good in the ~girl's~ jacket esp with those pants dude. Sucks that classic/higher waist pants and higher waisted tops aren't so accessible to ~men's clothing~ shoppers. Our lives are definitely not as practical as men's cuts would lead us to believe.
Thing is I love boxy jackets, I have quite a few, and I was hoping I'd like the M+C more, but ultimately bc it is women's and there arent any larger sizes I feel like its just a little too small for me
hey I dont fault you for having a different experience with M+C, maybe I'd appreciate some of their other pieces a lot more, simply this jacket that I looked at wasn't doing it for me.
@@BraveNewWear No no, I didn't take it in a bad way, haha. It's just the inspiration of japanese fashion in a couple of the M&C Collections that made me love the brand. The jacket in your video for example isn't my cup of tea either. Too ''trendy'' without really doing anything new
Hi , the branding on the levis m&c is just true to reak vintage labels. Fades that you compare at first are two difrent type of fades. (Raw denim fades vs worn stone wash fades). Your vintage one is just harder worn stone wash type of fade that u can achive with both of those jsckets. Fabrics that m&c collections sorce from are usually japanese danim (mostly from nishinnbo and kaihara mills) and italy (canidiani mill which is one of the most "green" denim mills in the industry, as well they are higher quality) . Levis premium is milled in china on fast production looms l, but good good think about it is that they started to use BCI cotton.
I have a vintage Levi's tucker, two new ones, and one sherpa lined. I think I am going to pull them out and do a similar comparison for myself. Thanks for the inspo Big Christian.
These days the only time I’ll buy anything Levi’s is if it’s at least from that “premium” line or the Made & Crafted one. A couple weeks ago I found a pair of Super Skinnies from the M&C line at Ross out of all places for $17 lol.
Hey christian if u need a fun way to celebrate tn I recommend mixing gfuel and 4loko, I haven't tried it but I probably will in like 2 weeks you should too
Great video dude ! Very informative. I had picked up a vintage women’s trucker jacket and was wondering why it was cropped but I do enjoy the style and I’m glad I’m not alone in that opinion.
Hello Christian once again, awesome video. I think whether I'd pick the trucker or sherpa would ultimately depend on my wardrobe, whether I am missing one of both silhouettes. As of now, I'm just looking to style different-cut pieces to see where I could go.
You should comprare some regular levis jeans vs the levis made and crafted jeans, raw or washed, I would say that the differences are easier to tell in the jeans instead of the jacket
One thing I would also consider is supply chain. When ordering product from a vendor it can be very expensive if you order a small quantity and if you're not sure youll be able to move the product that's what you would want to do so you don't take on a lot of financial risk. So in reality the vintage they may order substantially less of and thus the cost is a lot higher than in line premium product and in which they order massive amounts of. This is just another factor to the price increase not that this accounts for the entire difference of price.
Check out brave starr, they have an awesome raw denim jacket for like 180. Would love to see if it’s truly better than a Levi 60 dollar jacket like you have here
The shorter jacket being seen as ‘feminine’ is a new thing. Jackets used to be shorter because people used to wear higher pants. Pair it with vintage jeans and they’ll line up
Suspect the main differences that to some extent warrant the extra cost are the denim (think the made and crafted will be a 14-15oz organic cotton denim, possibly shuttle loom woven, whereas premium will be a lighter denim, say 9oz, definitely woven on projectile looms), and the green credentials of each garment respectively. LVC quality generally blows all the other lines out of the water. For the made and crafted money I'd be looking for a raw alternative, maybe one of the great japanese repro brands like TCB, sugar cane etc.
I can spot the difference , the cheaper one looks good , the expensive one makes a wearer look a fashion victim , the vintage jacket just looks good and is good. One tip. They look better if they actually fit .
Maybe you can compare a 501 from usa VS eu. In Europe we typically pay around €100,- for them, while the only difference i noticed so far is the leather patch
I agree about fade here, for those three the 300 look best on you and i dont even like the sherpa in the back. when u buying made & crafted its mean u pay for the design and limited production.
I have a Made in USA "1936" Type 1 jacket thats made from selvedge denim and all, but I wouldnt say its worth around 350 bucks they sell it for. It is definitely better quality than average Levis jacket, but still seems overpriced.
thats 100% fair, I mean when it comes to really nice pieces, designer level stuff, it starts to become a question of what its "worth" to you - this is from Levi's Vintage right?
@@BraveNewWear Yes, I think it is, the denim is really nice and very heavy, but I suppose the main reason the price is so high is because its made in USA.
Picked up a levis jacket from a vintage shop not long ago and I have no idea how old it is. It has like a yellowish fade going on and has a chunky zip as opposed to buttons, its label says workwear.
Cool, I want to see how many people would be down to explore vintage levis more bc I have a few other pieces and I think it could be an interesting dive.
I have a hoodie from the craft brand and its definantly a higher quality compared to some of there regular hoodies they sell. Didnt pay a hefty price for it either. The real vintage pieces are pretty dope compared to the newer stuff for the quality, feel, and details.
The women's jacket does NOT cost that much. I am an employee....where is either jacket that much money??? Screenshot if possible. I would love to check it out.
Please, What's the difference between a 72334- 0178 and a 72334- 0134 type 3 jacket? And why can't I find any new -0178? Thank you. btw I found two new XXL -0134 but were different sizes. Can you mb make a video about this issue? Thanks
White size are you wearing if u dont mind me asking, ive been eyeing this jacket in black for the hubby i was just scared they would be short in length and on the sleeves but it actually looks good, i just dont know what size to get, ppl in the reviews say size up some say its true to sizeee ahhh i dno
damn, appreciate the honesty...it really can be hard to tell when editing, I think I need to either buy studio headphones or learn how to properly mix audio
Bro u literally change my mind really appreciate your knowledge these things really worth it even i bought Levi's crafted and made jeans worth of 4000 and i started regretting
