For its latest limited-edition collection, Levi’s turned to Hillary Taymour, founder of Collina Strada, the New York City-based label that catapulted deadstock fabrics and dopamine dressing onto the industry’s radar during quarantine in 2020 with its whimsical face masks and apparel.
The Levi’s x Collina Strada collection offers a limited run of customized vintage Levi’s 501 jeans and Levi’s Trucker jackets decorated with multicolor, hand-stenciled stars that reflect Taymour’s joyful approach design.
Stars are a running theme throughout Collina Strada’s Spring 2022 collection, which also includes star-studded deadstock wide-leg jeans and a miniskirt.
The celestial motif, in fact, was the inspiration behind the partnership. “In the studio, I was testing a dye pattern on a pair of Levi’s,” Taymour said. “I saw how cute they were, and I was like, I have to make this in the collaboration with Levi’s.”
The pieces, available now on Levi’s app and select retailers, echoes trend forecasting firm’s predictions for a bright and vibrant Spring/Summer 2022 season. WGSN and Pantone both opted for vibrant shades of purple and pink, respectively, as their colors of the year, while Pinterest reported a shift toward “feel-good fits with an electric kick” for and all genders and age demographics in its 2022 forecast.
“This collection will be a fun thing to slide into anyone’s wardrobe,” Taymour added. “And you can kind of wear it with anything. You can do print on print, color on color, and it can be something that can be worn with your everyday outfits. Because it’s denim, it’s just such an easy thing to do.”
The colorful theme fits in with Taymour’s mission of using optimism and positivity to help instigate social and environmental change. Along with prioritizing sustainable fabrics like deadstock materials, recycled cotton and rose sylk, a cellulose fiber derived from rose bushes, in its own collections, the brand partners with The Or Foundation to catalyze the circular economy in places that the textile industry treat as dumping grounds for their waste.
“I don’t think you can teach someone how to do the right thing in a situation if you’re not showing them a positive way to do it,” the designer said of her approach at Collina Strada.
The Levi’s x Collina Strada collection retails for $408.