Battle of the Brands: Lee Vs. Levi

Last week [Start of April - Ed] saw two heavy weight denim brands go head to head in London Town. Both Levi and Lee celebrated the relaunches of their flagship stores and of course FashionBeans was there to document the fashionable going-ons as they unfolded.

Levi’s Regent Street

At a private view of their Regent street destination, Levi proudly showcased their new shopping space, which takes great influence from the heritage of the brand’s denim and the artisan techniques employed by Levi over the years that have gone to make one of the most recognisable names in American fashion. Shoppers will be welcomed into the store via a new gallery space, which currently houses epically sized portraits and works from craftsmen and women from across London; including musicians, Djs, designers and set designers – the same faces as featured in their new advertising campaign. The gallery space serves as a testament to Levi’s dedication to embracing new influences and pushing the boundaries of denim further than they have been pushed before.

In store there is a huge space dedicated to the brands signature 501′s and they have simplified the process of selecting styles, cuts and finishes – thereby taking the torture out of finding the often elusive pair of perfect jeans. The flagship store also uses its space to proudly showcase new season offerings that represent the diversity of the Levi product range, expanding way beyond that of just denim.

Levi topped off their celebrations with a gig at London’s Heaven night club, where N*E*R*D wowed the crowd, which included famous faces, Levi models and fashion folk alike.

Levi Regent Streets and Relaunch Party Images

Lee Carnaby Street

Not to be out done, Lee Jeans also celebrated the Relaunch of their Carnaby Street store last week (which has neatly coincided with the 50th anniversary of the infamous shopping street). Carnaby St. is synonymous with fashion mavericks and style leaders, so the Lee store fits in perfectly well with the shopping destinations heritage. The two story store showcases the new season collections of the brand with impact and will easily tease money out of your wallet without you realising – at least you’ll be rocking a fine pair of jeans as a reward.

Fashionable faces, including supermodel and ‘Vogue’ blogger, Jade Parfitt and Tahita Bulmer of New Young Pony Club fame, partied long into the night courtesy of tunes on the decks from The Mystery Jets and Bombay Bicycle club – and a lucky few swaggered off clutching Lee’s denim ‘Rider’ Jacket.

Lee Carnaby Street Images

Unfortunately we could not get hold of the large promotional shots of the new redesign so the contrast between old Lee store (top half) and new store (bottom images) are shown below. You should really check both new stores out in person though as the design quality is amazing:

So Lee or Levi? Levi or Lee? It’s a tough and choice – one is steeped in heritage yet always forward facing and pushing the boundaries of denim design, the other at the forefront of casual wear and innovative denim styling. So fashionbeans says ‘why choose when you can have both?’ Check out the selection of seasonal highlights from both brands below and make your own mind up. Let us know your favourite in the comments.

Levi Season Picks

Lee Season Picks