Levi’s has an amazing history of producing workwear that dates back to the 19th century. As time has passed, Levi’s has evolved towards a more fashionable esthetic, especially since the ‘70s. Yet when the company noticed that there was a new and emerging market for ‘vintage’ Levi’s, they started to replicate some of their most iconic pieces. This eventually resulted in the founding of a sub-label named Levi’s Vintage Clothing. LVC (the abbreviation) sets out to recreate pieces from the incredible archive that Levi’s has been building for over 150 years. The pieces that LVC produce are limited in quantity and have a true vintage feeling to them. It’s definitely one of our favourite brands at Tenue de Nîmes, we even got to collaborate with them once!

One of the most notorious moments in Levi’s history, was when the company made the switch from their jeans’ big ‘E’ red tab to the small ‘e’ red tab in 1971. In that year Levi’s sold both tabs, but after that, only jeans with the small ‘e’ tab were sold. Since then collectors have set out to the find the holy grail of Levi’s jeans, ones that have a big ‘E’ red tab on them. As the years have gone by, finding a pair of big ‘E’ Levi’s has become more and more difficult. As a result of this, the cult-status of these jeans and their worth keeps on reaching new heights. Seasoned Levi’s collectors have even stated that the big ‘E’ jeans fade differently from the small ‘e’ jeans, which adds even more myth to this highly coveted piece of clothing.

To celebrate the transition from the big ‘E’ tab to the small ‘e’ tab, Levi’s Vintage Clothing has come up with a very special rendition of their classic 501 jeans. The 1971 ‘Golden Ticket’ 501 is made from a deadstock 12 oz. Cone Mills White Oak red selvedge denim. As some might know, this fabric is very special since the White Oak denim mill closed its doors back in 2017. Cone Mills used to make the denim that Levi’s produced their jeans with, way back in the day. But that’s not the only thing special about these jeans, the 1971 ‘Golden Ticket’ 501 jeans have their tab wrapped in gold foil. When bought, you can unwrap your tab to discover if you have 1 of the 5 big ‘E’ tabs that are included in the 501 pairs of these jeans that were made! This has been the first time since 1971 that Levi’s has created big ‘E’ jeans.

So, if you’ve been searching for the holy grail and you’re feeling lucky, head over to one of our stores or our website! Be sure to let us know if you’re among the lucky 5!

AVAILABLE FROM THURSDAY JUNE 4TH