The Basement and Levi’s® have teamed up to reintroduce Levi’s® Engineered Jeans™.
In a time when young people are living their lives on the move, creating constantly, commuting daily, and transitioning from day to night without changing their clothing, Levi’s® Engineered Jeans™ offer a forward-thinking solution. The iconic twisted seams from 1999 have been updated with new fits and fabrications, designed to allow for greater freedom of movement, and therefore more compatible than ever with the quickening pace of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to work with two creative collectives, one from the North, and one from the South, that are both on the forefront of creativity and pushing boundaries in London and Manchester respectively, to shoot the most recent Levi’s® Engineered Jeans™ collection.
Carefree is a London based collective with multiple outputs, created by Damian Malontie. The philosophy underpinning Care Free is one based on sharing knowledge and encouraging free thinking, at a time when the sharing of photos and videos is common, but sharing of positive and progressive knowledge, less so.
Damian enlisted the help of London based photographer Vicky Grout to develop a lookbook inspired by his deep referencing of archival magazines yet updated by the current creative climate he is a part of in London, placing the Levi’s® Engineered Jeans™ collection at its core.
Gramm is a Manchester-based collective formed from the mannerisms and mentality of inner city youth culture. A portrait of the ups and downs, a section of past and present. Founded by Akeem and run with him by stylist and long-time creative collaborator Erike, their moniker “For The Youth, By The Yutes” pretty much sums up the gritty attitude and boundless energy that the collective approach
Gramm creatively directed their shoot in the heart of Manchester using the disused mills and urban landscape of an industrial age that, although long gone and forgotten by many, still impacts their creative environment every day.
The pieces used in both look-books were:
Womens:
LEJ Loose Taper, LEJ Slouchy Taper, LEJ Reissue Trucker
Mens:
LEJ 570 – Baggy Taper, LEJ 541 – Athletic Taper, LEJ 502 – Regular Taper, LEJ 512 – Slim Taper
Each collective delivered their unique take on the Levi’s® Engineered Jeans™ collection, representing both the North and South of England’s distinctive style.
