Ask someone to picture a pair of jeans and odds are their mind will jump to a pair of 501s. Fair, as they’ve been the blueprint since Levi Strauss riveted his first denim almost 150 years ago. In that time they’ve oscillated in and out of mainstream fashion, but always been the uniform of outsiders, from Marlon Brando’s biker gangs to New York punks to the German youths who took hammers to the Berlin Wall. (Related: The biggest trends in denim) Which is why Levi’s has tapped up some of music and fashion’s seminal nonconformists, from Black Flag’s Henry Rollins to menswear designer Mark McNairy, to explain why the 501 is like a second skin. The three-part documentary, The 501 Jean: The Story Of An Original, also traces the style’s history, from cowboys to causeless rebels to rock stars. And, no doubt, you. Check the story behind the documentary at Levi’s.
Part 1: Work
Part 2: Style
Part 3: Rebellion
