Levi’s Vintage Clothing Recreates the Oldest Women’s Jean In the Archives
The Levi’s Vintage Clothing team has re-created the oldest pair of women’s jeans in the Levi’s Archives while honoring the woman who used to wear them.
The limited-edition Lot 401 is made with shrink-to-fit selvedge denim which Kaihara Denim Mills in Japan reproduced from the original Lot 401.
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In the 1930s, Levi’s introduced the Lot 401 jean, the world’s first blue jeans made especially for women. The jean was a precursor to the Levi’s Lot 701 jean, also referred to as Lady Levi’s.
Tracey Panek, historian at Levi Strauss & Co, believes that Lot 401 women’s jeans may have been a limited-run prototype created to test the market before the launch of the Lot 701 jeans.
Levi’s used the original Lot 401 jean as a blueprint for the reproduction. In 2017, Levi’s acquired the “Viola,” a jean that became the oldest women’s blue jeans in the brand’s archives.
The jean is named after their owner, Viola Longacre, a student at Fresno State’s Sierra Summer School, who was studying to be a teacher in the 1930s. Because her classes were often held outside on a campus located in the Sierra National Forest, her denim jeans, which featured her name inscribed on the inside pocket, provided the ideal rugged and durable clothing, Levi’s said.
“A remarkable find for the Levi’s Archives, Viola has shaped our understanding of the history and development of both Levi’s denim and women’s clothing,” Panek said. “As an independent and fashion-forward woman, she truly made these jeans her own. The incredible Levi’s Vintage Clothing team has recreated her breakthrough pair while honoring her unique story.”
The limited-edition Lot 401 jean has Viola’s name inscribed on the inside pocket like the original. It comes with a photo of Viola and a letter describing the original jeans and her story. It comes packaged in a tote with the Levi’s Vintage Clothing logo and Lot 401 patch.
The jean retails for $495 and available now on Levi’s website, app and in select Levi’s stores.
