Sure bets are few and far between. There's Kobe in the fourth quarter, Young Jeezy albums, and any movie Jonah Hill is in. On the fashion side, a Levi's collaboration is good as gold. After the successful launch of their Robert Geller for Levi's collection, everyone's favorite denim brand is back at it with a collection made with the help of famed illustrator and national icon creator Shepard Fairey and his clothing brand OBEY.
Launching today, the collection focuses on a number of classic Levi's pieces loved by Shepard and head of men's clothing design at OBEY, Mike Ternovsky. To get a little more information on the line we went straight to the source and got an exclusive interview with Shepard and Mike with them talking about their roles in the collection, their favorite pieces and whether or not they're going to wear any of it. If that doesn't get you amped enough to hit up the launch in Times Square today, maybe the chance to win one of the four limited edition posters (pictured above) will. Dope clothes and dope art? Seems like a sure bet to us.
Complex: What model of the Levi's jeans did you work on and why?
Shepard Fairey: I love the classic trucker jacket as an icon of rock 'n' roll and rebellion. Mike chose the jean cuts. I dig the classic straight leg, worn in a little.
Mike Ternovsky: We worked on two models of jeans for this project. The "514" and the "511". The first style was the "514". We chose this style for a number of reasons. First, this fit has been one of Shep's favorites for many years. He loves the classic straight leg fit. The second jean we used was the all black "511". This is a really skinny jean. The reason we choose this jean was it had that classic punk rock feel to it. It felt very rock and roll which is a huge part of OBEY. And lastly we chose the classic Levi's trucker jacket. Denim jackets are timeless and never go out of style.
Complex: Who are your style icons?
Shepard Fairey: Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren did awesome creative stuff making new things from old things. The Clash had great style.
Mike Ternovsky: I don't have a specific style icon. But in the case of this project I think I looked to the Ramones.
Complex: What detailing on the denim are specifically yours?
Mike Ternovsky: This project was interesting in that we took very basic Levi's styles and treated them as if we had owned and worn them for many years. Shepard has been wearing the 514 for years and his are beat up and covered in wheat paste and paint. We wanted to combine this beat up feeling with the punk rock D.I.Y. aesthetic. We added custom OBEY patches, painted details and a number of washes and repair techniques to give these pieces an authentic worn and customized look. For example, one of the jackets is a vintage indigo jacket spray painted matte black. This technique mimics the matte black spray paint Shepard uses when spraying his stencils.
Complex: What part of the collection did you find most difficult to design?
Mike Ternovsky: Bringing Shepard's signature graphic imagery to a garment without making it look over the top or contrived. People have been customizing their Levi's denim jackets for years so we wanted to capture this same feeling while making it look authentic.
Complex: Did you work in any Easter eggs in the design that the average person might not pick up on?
Mike Ternovsky: The vintage indigo Levi's "Trucker" jacket with the sewn-in sweatshirt hood has a little secret. The jacket has a game pouch pocket like a hunting jacket on the side of the back panel. Perfect for holding posters while climbing to a spot.
Complex: What was each of your guys involvement with the design process?
Shepard Fairey: I was the art director and Mike was the clothing designer.
Mike Ternovsky: I was the clothing designer on the project along with Levi's and Shepard handled all the graphics. I worked closely with Shepard on developing the mood for the graphics and how we wanted to incorporate his graphics into the Levi's garments to give them that D.I.Y aesthetic.
Complex: Do you guys wear your own products?
Shepard Fairey: I wear some of my stuff, but usually the less in-your-face designs. I get a little self conscious, there is a fine line between pride and ego. I'd rock all of this Obey x Levi's stuff. I think [the collection] feels like classic's with embellishment, just like when I drew or stenciled on my Levi's in high school.
Mike Ternovsky: I sure do. The OBEY clothing line tries to mix a broad range of styles that have influenced us. As Shepard said, some of the stuff is bold and in-your-face while another portion of the line we tried to keep more classic and timeless. I tend to lean more towards the classic, timeless pieces.
THE "BOMB", BLACK SPRAY-PAINTED TRUCKER JACKET
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $148
THE OVER DYED WOVEN FLANNEL SHIRT
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $118
BATWING SHIRT
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $35
THE "GLOBAL DESTRUCTION" 514 SLIM STRAIGHT JEAN
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $128
THE SPRAY GIRL
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $35
THE "SPRAY-IT" TRUCKER JACKET WITH INSERTED BLACK TERRY-CLOTH HOOD
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $148
THE BANDANA SHIRT
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $35
THE "BLACK THE RIPPER" 511 SKINNY JEAN
Available at The Levi's stores in Times Square + Soho in NYC, Union Square in San Francisco, Santa Monica and Chicago, $128
THE BANDANA
Included with purchase of jeans, denim jacket and flannel shirt
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