In the world of vintage denim collecting, many consider the peak to be the WWII-era Levi’s. Well, besides pre-1900s denim to the tune of over $70,000, of course. What war-time period stuff has going for it is it isn’t just scarce now, it was scarce then, due to rationing and different guidelines/ quality control during the conflict.
But if WWII-era denim isn’t obscure and expensive enough for you, within this tier is another tier for the collectors who have an appreciation for the imperfections, the quirks, and of course, have far too much money: transitional pairs which are a timestamp in the evolution of Levi’s as they phase out of wartimes. Although it probably did happen “overnight”, within those hours of darkness, some special pairs got churned out, some of which could be one of a kind.
Warehouse and Hinoya have teamed up to bottle this ‘one of a kind’ magic with the S1001HXX-DSB. Modeled after a pair of raw selvedge denim Levi’s made between 1945-1946, this repro uses a raw denim that mimics deadstock fabric from the time — down to the darn thread count — and also copies the warped stitching seen on rushed wartime production models. However, the riveted coin pocket and the back pockets with hidden rivets are in fact post-war specifications, both of which show how these jean’s are inspired by changing times in the wake of WWII.
But to reel it in on the vintage denim geek front, if all you really care about is a clean, top-quality, straight leg jean that will fade beautifully, that’s okay too. That’s the beauty of well-made objects — they have your back no matter how shallow or deep you dive.
Available for $220 from Hinoya
