LVC’s final goodbye to Cone Mills
Though US-based Cone Mills White Oak - the last major American producer of high-end selvedge denim - received a send-off from Levi’s Vintage Clothing (LVC) in 2019, LVC is issuing Cone Mills one final goodbye with a limited run of 1944 501 jeans.
The collection, called “Perfect Imperfections”, has reportedly been “pieced together” from the last of the brand’s deadstock Cone Mills textiles and “aims to recall the piecemeal production of wartime jeans” (in reference to the fabric and metal restrictions which resulted from second world war rationing).
On this theme, five different LVC 1944 501 reproduction jean styles have been produced, each featuring deliberate “mistakes” which, back in the 1940s, would most likely have resulted from a finite source of materials.
Authentically, the jeans feature printed arcuate stitching on the rear pockets. However, some jeans may have a crooked, inverted or no design, for example, while some may have extra red Levi’s tabs or none at all. Each pair of jeans has been made with a different type of deadstock fabric for its pocket bags.
Only 501 pairs of the jeans are available for purchase (via the Levi’s app), with 100 pairs of each style made, except for one model which will be produced in a run of 101.
This is the very last time LVC jeans will feature deadstock Cone Mills fabric.
Image: Levi’s.
