March 2009
Returning to Broadway, the groundbreaking rock musical, Hair, is partnering iconic denim leader, Levi’s, to create authentic looks for the cast’s key costumes. Levi's set the precedent for style in the free-spirited 1960's, so featuring Levi's jeans as the predominant look worn by the cast of Hair is an authentic and natural fit. In addition to working closely with Hair costume designer Michael McDonald, Levi's is also celebrating Hair's triumphant return to Broadway by sponsoring the show.
"The Levi's brand is excited to be a part of the highly anticipated Broadway revival of Hair. Our brand's impact on the style and times of the late 1960's was a profound one, so the Levi's jeans and Hair relationship truly is an authentic, perfect fit," says Robert Hanson, president of Levi Strauss Americas.
"What's even more interesting is that the Levi's jeans featured in Hair, much like the themes explored in the show, are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago."
In order to channel the eccentric bohemian style of the 1960's, McDonald looked to Levi's extensive archive of vintage denim. Based on his research, he chose to work with products deeply rooted in Levi's heritage including the Levi's Original 501 straight leg jean (featured in a wash appropriately named ‘Acid Trip’); the 527 Low Rise Boot Fit; vintage, Reissued Bell Bottoms; 511 Skinny Jeans and Capital E Hesher Boot jeans. This denim spectrum of Levi's jeans will be prominently featured on both male and female cast members to help create an incredibly authentic look and feel for the production.
"The Levi's brand is a timeless fashion icon–uniquely American, yet globally recognized as the standard, the original, in denim," said McDonald.
"After extensive research of period details, I knew Levi's was the perfect fit for my costume designs in Hair, capturing the essence of the era with stylish accuracy."
Today's emerging trends that are based heavily on popular 1960's looks–such as authentically distressed denim, corduroy fabrics, and fringe and patchwork details–also helped shape McDonald's costume selections. These and other hot denim trends of the moment inspired by the 1960's, such as ultra wide-leg jeans in vintage washes and destroyed denim vests, are flying off Levi's store shelves.
Hair first opened in New York City in 1967 at Joseph Papp's Public Theater before moving to Broadway the following April. More than forty years later, during the summer of 2008, Hair played to standing-room-only crowds in Central Park and was met with critical acclaim.
The story of the Hair ‘tribe’–a group of hippies from ‘the Age of Aquarius’ who live a free-spirited life in New York City where they balance a peaceful rebellion against the Vietnam War with the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has become a cultural phenomenon. The ‘tribe’ embodies the hippie counter-culture of their time.
Throughout history, the Levi's brand has been embraced by the counter-culture ‘outsider’ and encouraged individuals to live their lives freely without conforming to society's expectations and constraints. The heart and soul of Hair is based on these ideals, which, more than four decades after the show's original premier, are as relevant as ever. It is this ideological synergy that makes the Levi's brand's partnership with Hair such a logical and authentic fit.
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