The effortlessly cool style of ’90s icons like Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford and Winona Ryder has inspired consumers to flock to resale and vintage retailers in search of the perfect relaxed Levi’s 501 jeans for years.
Levi’s new jean for Spring/Summer 2022, however, recreates the perfect slouchy fit they’re looking for.
The brand introduced Wednesday the Levi’s 501 90s, a looser version of its signature jean. With a more relaxed fit through the seat and leg, the jean sits just below the waist and offers a stylish yet roomier fit that can be sized up or sized down depending on how the consumer wants to wear it. The fit gives wearers a way to achieve the slouchy, laidback style without having bagginess all over.
“It’s a jean that’s not only physically comfortable but taps into that nostalgia of a jean you loved and wore back in the day,” said Jill Guenza, Levi’s Strauss & Co. vice president of design for women’s apparel. While finishes have been clean and stone washed for some time, Guenza said it is refreshing to see a return to well-worn and vintage-inspired jeans.
Levi’s brought back another nostalgic favorite earlier this year, the Levi’s Red collection. The line, first launched in the late ’90s, centered around straight, tapered and wide-leg jeans for men and women. Looser fits, in general, have been gangbusters for the denim label as of late. Levi’s high loose jean, which was introduced to the market in 2020, was recently named the most-wanted product of 2021 by The Lyst Index, an annual report that ranks fashion’s hottest brands and products. The jeans—and ones like it—are part of a wave of new fits washing over the women’s and men’s denim categories.
The Levi’s 501 90s is available now and retails for $98-$108. Sizes range from 23-34 waist and 30/32 inseams.
The brand tapped its first-ever face of Levi’s 501s and ’90s baby Hailey Bieber for a campaign celebrating the launch. “It’s cool to look upon the era that you were born into and just draw inspiration,” said Bieber, who was born in 1996. “Just the aesthetic of the photos of the ’90s, the movies of the ’90s, the fashion of the ’90s. It’s just fascinating to me.”