Hasta La Ideas

The heritage brand builds a uniform to outfit a San Francisco restaurant

by Yale Breslin

Orondava Mumford, Global Design Director at Levi’s, was in charge of creating the uniforms for the staff at San Francisco eatery Saison. We dug through his sketchbook leading up to the unveiling of the restaurant’s new sartorial choices and spoke with Mumford about the inspiration behind his heritage-focused design process, and his grand plans for the U.S. Postal Service.

How did this design collaboration between Saison and Levi’s come about?

The Levi’s brand has partnered with San Francisco’s acclaimed Saison restaurant to create a functional workwear wardrobe for the modern pioneers of this unique, open-kitchen environment. With this collaboration we are proud to celebrate chef Joshua Skenes and sommelier Mark Bright, who not only embody the pioneering spirit of the Levi’s brand but the most relevant expression of innovation, localism and craftsmanship.

You designed the uniforms, but what inspired the design and workmanship?

Actually we refer to it as a wardrobe rather than uniforms. When Aylin Beyce (co-designer on the uniforms) and I went on our initial research dinner date at Saison, we were impressed by the intimacy of the experience of having a meal there. While the wardrobe was designed with a singular aesthetic, we offered variations on fit for the cooks—if you normally rock skinny jeans, why should you have to come to work in loose, ill-fitting chinos?. The female servers were offered a tunic, a dress and two different pant styles, whereas the partners, Josh and Mark, have completely custom-made garments based on their respective trades and day-to-day functions.

What elements did you draw upon for the men’s design and the women’s design?

We based both the men’s and women’s designs on a coupling between our brand’s workwear heritage and the modern approach to function needed in a restaurant of Saison’s caliber. Consistent details were used such as a trupunto stitch detail, natural horn and corozo nut buttons, and a fabric and color scheme that reflected the restaurants interior. In maintaining the highest quality of fabrics, which we felt reflected the high quality of ingredients on the menu, we chose selvedge fabrics from Italy, Japan, England and the US.

What is it about this collaboration that you were most drawn to?

I am extremely passionate about Levi’s being involved in projects such as these. Saison is a local San Francisco-based concept started by young entrepreneurs innovating within their fields. Levi’s is an original San Francisco-based brand, which through the creation of the 501 supported the pioneers of the early 1800s migrating west during the Gold Rush in pursuit of the American dream. It’s what we do. If anyone from the U.S. Postal Service is reading this, I am dying to redesign their uniforms too.

Tell me a little bit about what it is you do at Levi’s.

I have the dream job. My official title is Global Design Director. I focus specifically on all menswear products below the waist as well as our iconic “trucker” jacket and versions of it. I manage a team of some of the industry’s best designers hailing from all over the world. My main responsibilities are to inspire and lead the design team in creating a compelling, yet commercially viable global product that supports and deepens the brand’s values and identity while challenging and pushing the boundaries of modern American design through craft, sustainability and innovation. I love my job.

What is it about the cuisine that you were drawn to?

It was the balance of familiarity and pure innovation. The menu never fails to thrill the palate and the execution, delivery and atmosphere surrounding each plate was such a lasting impression. We went about creating the wardrobe as such. We even went as far as to have a custom-made wardrobe unit built of reclaimed local redwood and steel to house the wardrobe, which now stands inside the restaurant. No detail was left un-challenged, as I’m sure Josh wouldn’t craft a menu any other way.

Clothing brand Levi’s is introducing garments adapted for commuter cyclists, including jeans featuring storage for a bike lock.

The Commuter by Levi’s® concept goes on sale this week and features jeans and a jacket – based on the classic 511 and Trucker Jacket respectively – customised with water- and odour- resistant stretch fabric.

Cuffs on the jacket, which features a pocked for an iPod, are trimmed with reflective strips (above).

The jeans feature a utility waist band that holds a D-lock and a strengthened crotch to prevent tearing.

Here’s some more info from Levi’s:

THE LEVI’S® BRAND INTRODUCES INNOVATIVE MEN’S COMMUTER CYCLING PRODUCTS
The Levi’s® 511™ Commuter Skinny and Trucker Jacket for Cyclists Hits Stores This Week

SAN FRANCISCO (JULY 11, 2011) – The Levi’s® brand is proud to introduce Commuter by Levi’s® – clothing designed and optimized specifically for the needs of the urban commuter cyclist.

Arriving in select Levi’s® Stores this week, the 511™ and Trucker Commuter products integrate an array of features that address cyclists performance, convenience, safety, mobility and protection needs while maintaining the durability and classic styling that people expect from the Levi’s® brand.

The launch of these products builds upon the Levi’s® brand’s commitment to innovation while tying back to the new global ‘Go Forth’ campaign which is a rally cry to create positive change in the world.

Erik Joule, senior vice president of Levi’s® Men’s Merchandising & Design says, “This product was born from innovation, classic American style and a personal passion for cycling – it’s about designing product for people who ride bikes, by people who ride bikes.  We knew that our jeans were already being worn by urban cyclists across the country, including our own designers.  We listened to what they wanted and created a product with performance traits for biking that also functions as daily street wear.”

Built around the 511™ Skinny Jean, the Levi’s® brand’s most popular skinny fit for men, the 511™ Commuter features fabric and construction upgrades that increase mobility and durability, while protecting cyclists from the potential hazards of their daily commute.  The 511™ Commuter comes in two styles – a full length and cropped version – and both denim and non-denim fabrics.  The series also includes a Commuter version of the classic Levi’s® Trucker Jacket, an iconic work wear style that was first introduced in 1962 and has now been updated for the modern worker who demands performance and style on and off the road.

All Commuter by Levi’s® products blend form and function by utilizing the most cutting-edge performance apparel technologies.  The Levi’s® brand partnered with Swiss-based Schoeller Technologies AG to be the first to introduce NanoSphere® treatment into denim fabrication.  NanoSphere® technology makes denim fabric water resistant, dirt repellant and more durable.

The Levi’s® brand also consulted with technology-expert Clariant, a global supplier of specialty effects for textile, in order to implement the invisible but powerful technology that makes Commuter by Levi’s® clothing so unique.  All Commuter products feature Sanitized™ hygiene function, which provides protection against odors for long-lasting freshness and comfort, and 3M Scotchlite™ which subtly integrates 300,000 candle watt reflectivity into key areas of the garments.

In addition to these performance technologies, the Levi’s® brand also leveraged its own insights and superior construction techniques to make their new cycling products more commuter-friendly.  Both the Commuter by Levi’s® Trucker Jacket and the 511™ Commuter Skinny feature just the right amount of stretch to increase mobility while maintaining their signature fit.  The 511™ Commuter Skinny also features a raised back yolk that minimizes lower back gap, a reinforced crotch gusset that protects against ripping in this high stress area, double back layer pockets, a U-lock storage system and fabric reinforcements throughout.  The Trucker has extra utility pockets and modifications to the sleeves, cuffs and tail that enable more comfortable movement while cycling.

“As an avid cyclist myself, I am confident this line has all of the key cycling-specific performance features cyclists value, but haven’t been able to find in other lifestyle clothing options,” added Joule.

Commuter by Levi’s® clothing can be found at select independent bike shops in major metro cities as well as select Levi’s® Stores and at www.levi.com beginning this July. The line will also be available in select Urban Outfitters beginning in August.  The 511™ Commuter Skinny and 511™ Commuter Cropped Skinny retail for $78 and the Commuter Trucker Jacket retails for $128.To coincide with the introduction of the new Commuter by Levi’s® collection, the Levi’s® brand is partnering with Urban Outfitters  to launch the “Get in the Saddle” bike shop tour. The bike shop will go to where cyclists are and create temporary resource centers around the country complete with a bicycle tuning center, a custom commuter tailoring shop and a bicycle photo-booth. The tour kicks off in early August in New York City and ends in Portland in late September with stops in major cities along the way.

Commuter by Levi’s® 511™ Skinny product features:

• Utility waist band – specially designed for u-lock storage
• Higher back rise – providing additional coverage when riding
• NanoSphere® Technology – applied to make fabric water resistant, dirt repellant and durable
• 3M Reflectivity – 3M Scotchlite™ Reflective Tape on interior cuff offers high level of visibility
• Sanitized® built-in hygiene function – for long-lasting protection against odors
• Reinforced Fabric – in crotch, back pockets and belt loop for durability
• Performance Stretch Fabric – more stretchable for added mobility and comfort

Commuter by Levi’s® Trucker Jacket product features:

• NanoSphere® Technology – water resistant, dirt repellant, durable and protective
• 3M Reflectivity – 3M Scotchlite™ Reflective Tape integrated on waistband adjusters and concealed for off the bike utility
• Sanitized® built-in hygiene function – for long-lasting protection against odors
• iPod front pocket – for modern convenience
• Slight Drop tail – provides additional coverage
• Touring Pockets – easy to reach rear storage with low-profile pockets
• Accordion Sleeves – additional fabric that expands when in the riding stance for increased mobility
• Angled front pockets – for easy access in all modes
• Elongated cuffs – covers partial hand when riding

ABOUT THE LEVI’S® BRAND
The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool.  Since their invention by Levi Strauss & Co. in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world – capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. Today, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry.  This range of leading jeanswear and accessories are available in more than 110 countries, allowing individuals around the world to express their personal style.  For more information about the Levi’s® brand, its products and stores, visit www.levi.com.

See also:

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Juxtapose by Gluejeans	Plastic Polo for Lacoste by Michael Young	Ski suits by Willy Bogner

We take a ride with Levi’s debut line for pedal-pushers

With everyone from big brands like Nike to upstarts like Outlier stepping into clothe the growing legions of bike commuters, Levi’s recent sneak peek of their debut line designed for cycling seemed like a no-brainer direction for the label. Drawing on their workwear heritage, the new series incorporates cutting-edge technical functionality, puts “craftsmanship, quality and durability” at the forefront of outfitting today’s worker, and integrates feedback from urban cyclists who already wear Levi’s—all of which made us eager to check out the duds first-hand.

Office-wide, the Trucker Jacket ($128), based on a 1967 design, elicited the most oohs-and-ahs for its long cut with a slight drop tail that, despite pockets (including one for an iPod) and flaps, manages to look streamlined on both men and women. Front pockets are angled for easy access, extra fabric in the underarm adds mobility, and a lip on the cuff partially covers hands while riding.

Like all the pieces in the line, the jacket features antimicrobial odor-protection and reflective accents for visibility. Another key detail across the collection is what’s been dubbed Nanosphere Technology, an application developed in partnership with Swiss fabric brand Schoeller Technologies that makes materials resist water and dirt, as well as offer more protection and longer lifespans.

For bottoms, Levi’s built a loop into the waistband of the 511 Skinny Commuter pants (available in elasticized denim or khaki, $78 each) for toting u-locks without cumbersome racks or shoving them down your pants. Roll up the cuff, and reflective tape on the inner seam provides increased safety at night, while a reinforced crotch saves you from regular trips to the tailor.

Look out for these and few other pant lengths in Levi’s and Urban Outfitters retail locations this summer.

Photos by Gregory Stefano

La città natale di Levi’s, San Francisco, ha ispirato questa collaborazione tra Unik Bike, Fixerati e Brother Cycles per realizzare una bici a scatto fisso very original. Per sperare di farci una pedalata, basta seguire che si dice qui. 

We sit down with R.E.M.’s frontman to learn about his latest creative initiative

When we found out that Michael Stipe was visiting Levi’s photo workshop in NYC to conduct a project of his own last Friday, we of course headed down to learn more. There within the tall white walls of the former gallery, dozens of young creative types lined up, all anxiously awaiting their brush with one of American music’s greats. As participants full of awe and admiration reached the front of the line, 7-inches and ‘zines piled up next to Stipe, who quietly greeted each person, explaining how they would take the next photo before sitting for the following one. After the last subject shuffled through, we sat down with the man whose career spans musician, filmmaker and artist to learn more about what brought him there, his thoughts on brand collaborations and karaoke.

What inspired you about the space initially?

It’s got a great provenance in that most New Yorkers know it as Deitch Projects, so some of the creative stuff that’s happened in this particular space is pretty legendary and this is a pretty awesome follow-up. It’s a very different thing, but I like the openness of it. I guess Levi’s is paying for it, but I think it’s really cool—whoever had the idea to do it.

For our generation, working with brands was really problematic, no one wanted to be a sellout. But more and more that seems to be just what’s happening, do you still have a choice?

I think you do have a choice and my band R.E.M. for instance, have never accepted any endorsement for any purpose that was not artistic. So the line that we draw is a fine line, but anything that is an artform or anything that is artistic or creative, like a film or TV show or some collaboration that makes sense, we’re okay with lending or allowing our music to be used, or our name to be used for something like that as opposed to having a tour sponsored by a brand.

Obviously, this is somewhere in that gray area and that’s part of what makes it a little bit interesting. It’s responding to the needs of the market in the 21st century, but it happens to be a very cool company that’s doing it and it seems fairly no-strings-attached. So I’m happy to participate.

How did the space lead to what you’re doing here?

This thing? This very simply is a response to a moment in time. In 2010 we find ourselves in—it’s not a DMZ, it’s not a no man’s land—it’s like a middle space between what is still photography and what is a moving image. Technology has advanced to the point now that the most recent professional cameras actually don’t take still images as much they take short films and then you find the frame that you want to be a still image.

I think that 10 or 12 years from now that is going to radically alter the way we think about what a still image is. And so what we did today is something that goes back to the very beginning of moving imagery with Eadweard Muybridge of course. It takes this very simple idea of a still image and animates it simply. In our case, we’re putting it through a Mac and doing a repetitive action that’s easy to understand.

How did you choose the subjects?

I just wanted it to feel really democratic, kind of like the space. And I didn’t want to do anything myself, I didn’t really want to own it. I’m happy to own the idea or to have participated in the idea, but I didn’t feel the need to take a picture or be one of the participants in the piece itself.

I like how in a way it’s a little bit like a self-portrait daisy chain. I think that term has good and then very sexual connotations, it doesn’t have to have sexual connotations! If there’s a bad connotation, please strike that remark. Your image is being taken quite democratically by the next person in line, who takes the next person in line.

As an artist I’m thinking about and dealing right now in sculpture with the bust in history. I’m not certain that there’s a 21st-century response to what a bust is as a sculptural thing.

What is the historical significance of the bust that inspires you?

Before photography and moving film there were more limited ways in which to capture someone’s likeness. In the case of world leaders, death masks were made—or life masks, in the case of William Blake. I’ve seen a copy that Patti Smith took and made into her version of a 21st-century bust.

This would be in a way, research for me on my version of a 21st-century bust. I’m actually coming away from this with this feeding the other work I’m doing outside of music. This is an idea at the moment. The only sculptures that people know of mine are actually quite limited. There are no busts, that’ll come this year.

Why bust as opposed to a portrait?

It allows me to be able to see—if I’m looking at someone—maybe they’ve got a great personality, but I’m looking at them and going, is this someone who from three dimensions would create an amazing piece that would speak beyond me or beyond my desires as an artist, but might provide comment or commentary or inspire other people who have no idea who this person was. So it’s taking something that’s quite subjective and trying to, in a very positive way, objectify it.

Do you mind telling us about your tattoo?

This was one I had done in the early ’90s, it was maybe 1993 or ’94. Now it’s a part of me, I don’t remember the original intent. I don’t think it matters.

What’s your favorite song for karaoke?

Oh, good one. ‘Justify My Love’ by Madonna. It’s so retarded, it’s spoken word so you can really have fun with it if you’ve had a few beers too many, and people respond to it well. The easy thing for me is Jimmy Webb songs, Glenn Campbell songs that he wrote because I can actually hit the notes…unless they pitch it higher or lower than my particular range.

Photos by Karen Day