Levi's 501 Cropped Jeans
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Levi’s 501: a history of self-expression
How to upcycle your favourite 501s, for a look that lasts
You wear jeans. You LIVE in Levi’s®
We get it. You’ve found your dream jeans (Levi’s 501, naturally) and nothing will tear you apart. Unless you catch them on something, and *RIP*. You have two options. Cry, call them distressed, and own it. Or get customising – more sustainable, yes, and also undeniably cool.
What’s more likely is that you’re looking to personalise your perfect pair (501s are built to endure anything) for nothing feels – or looks – as good as customised denim.
Levi’s 501 – 3 (clever) ways to customise yours
01. RIP
Ripped, distressed and purposefully torn jeans have earned their place in the fashion hall of fame. For a classic look, draw and cut along a line one inch above your knee, adding as many tears as you please. Feeling dramatic? Cut a hole on the knee (it’ll expand with wear). For a more subtle finish, use scissors to create a frayed and/or uneven hem.
02. PAINT
Acrylic paints are tough enough to withstand your washing machine, so get creative and personalise, from lettering to motifs or big and bold pattern repeats, à la Damien Hirst (below).
03. PATCH
Need to repair your ripped and torn jeans? Add an iron-on repair patch, browse Etsy for embroidery patches that will showcase your love of cats, plants, cars, whatever, or lean into fashion’s love of varsity inspo by spelling out your name, letterman style, down a seam or across your (denim) derrière.
Levi’s 501 – a history of self-expression
Need more inspiration? Take your cue from the Levi’s archive (below) – pictorial proof that people have been using their jeans as a canvas for creativity for decades…
LEVI’S 501 NATIVE AMERICAN – 1970sThese Pennsylvania-area Levi’s 501 jeans were transformed with intricate Native
American-inspired embroidery. The original owner also added buttons to the waistband
to accommodate suspenders.
LEVI’S 501 VIRGIN MARY – 1980Denim jeans featuring an Our Lady of Guadalupe image on printed flannel fabric
and sewn down the leg and on back pockets.
LEVI’S 501 LIBERTAD – 1999Customised jeans with painted Statue of Liberty, Decorated Denim Event in Brazil or
Mexico 1999.
LEVI'S 501 DOUG HANSEN – 1970When adventurer Doug Hansen made the trek to California from Maryland in 1970, he
lamented having missed the Summer of Love in San Francisco by a few years. He fought off his regret by setting to work on a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans that would capture the hippie spirit.
LEVI’S 501 – 1990sCustomised with studs, hand prints and one footprint.
DAMIEN HIRST X LEVI’S – 2008With his unique ‘Spin Painting’, British contemporary artist Damien Hirst gave gaudy colour splashes to Levi’s iconic 501 jeans.
Levi’s 501 – the evolution of a cultural icon
1873
Jacob Davis adds copper rivets to canvas trousers for workwear
1939
John Wayne wore a pair of cuffed 501 Originals in the movie Stagecoach
1945
Adopted by returning WWII GIs, motorcycle clubs, artists, musicians and teens
1963
Worn by Bob Dylan on The Freewheelin’ album cover
1969
Seen at Woodstock and worn by UK Mods and Rockers
1970
Worn ripped by Kate Bush
1980
Run-D.M.C. and Steve Jobs wore their 501s crisp and dark
1999
Named ‘the fashion item of the 20th century’ by Time magazine
2023
Levi’s 150th anniversary – and 501s remain intergenerational, timeless and one of the most recognisable garments of clothing in the world
“Jeans are the purest wearable form of authentic self-expression – bearing the markings of life, the shapes of our bodies, the memories of our adventures”
