In honor of the 150th anniversary of the 501 jeans, Levi’s is giving its front-running style a sustainable upgrade.
The summer 2023 anniversary styles include the “Plant-Based 501,” a hemp-cotton blend selvedge 501 jean for its Wellthread line, and a circular 501 jean made with pulp innovator Renewcell’s “Circulose” fiber made from textile waste. The denim innovations prioritize natural dyes, fibers and components. In the circular 501 jean, for one, synthetic parts (typically polyester pockets, threads and labels) are converted to recycled cotton or alternatives. The result is a new jean made with old jeans that is designed for recyclability. (To note, today’s 501 jean is already made with 100 percent cotton and the circular style was introduced in 2020).
The products point to the jeans maker’s storied history and incoming gains.
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“As a company that has been making 501 jeans for 150 years now, we have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to continually interrogate the process by which these jeans are made,” Paul Dillinger, vice president of design innovation at Levi Strauss & Co., said in a press statement. “These jeans build on past efforts to create more circular jeans and in turn give us a foundation for future innovation.”
The new Plant-Based 501 is made of at least 97 percent plant-based materials, with all certified organic cotton (from Organic Cotton Standard), natural mineral and food waste dyestuff (sourced from Stony Creek Colors), a plant-based patch (made with Natural Fiber Welding’s Mirum) and ink made from wood waste (made possible by Nature Coatings’ plant-derived black pigment BioBlack TX). Most of the woven labels and sewing threads are also 100 percent certified cotton. By weight, each pair is said to be 97 percent bio-based content.
Though the Wellthread styles will be released in succession later in the year, the Plant-Based 501 jeans are available now in-store and on levi.com.