Levi's and Crocs didn't have to be a home run. It's not easy to combine denim with shoes, especially easy slides that're meant to be comfortably breathable — denim is famously stuffy! But, instead, Levi's and Crocs' collaborative clogs are one of the best Crocs collaborations in recent history. This is cool collaboration 101, here.
The Levi's x Crocs collaboration was revealed in the same way as so many other soon-to-be-hyped team-ups: by the designers themselves.
Crocs collaborations overseer Ryan Forsyth and Levi's collaborations mastermind Leo Gamboa (you may remember him for all those amazing collaborative Reeboks) offered first-look imagery of the Levi's Crocs on their respective Instagram pages, introducing the world to a pair of ingenious mules, which reportedly launch in Summer 2023 for $85 apiece.
Think about all the ways this collaboration could've gone wrong. Like, a conventional pair of Crocs clogs layered with Levi's denim? As much as we love each of the brands involved, that doesn't sound terribly appealing.
So, instead, Forsyth and Gamboa's teams turned a potential nightmare clog into a dreamy denim mule that ranks up there with the Salehe Bembury clogs and other excellent recent Crocs partnerships.
Highsnobiety has reached out to a Levi's representative and Crocs for more information.
One of Crocs' Outdoor Clogs forms the basis of this collaboration, all sleek lines and treaded outsole. On the upper, faded sashiko-stitched denim courtesy of Levi's, presumably light enough to border on chambray weight. One pair teased by Gamboa had a stone attached to the top as a sort of Jibbitz stand-in.
Notably, on the insole, there's a Japanese Levi's logo, presumably in homage to the textural sashiko pattern that plays across the Crocs' upper (sashiko is one of the several ancient Japanese crafts devised for mending fabrics).
As handsome as Levi's previous footwear collaborations with New Balance were, the denim giant's new Crocs are vying for the crown of best-ever Levi's shoe.
These are seriously great-looking clogs and they're all but guaranteed to sell out but quick.
No release date or official imagery yet, obviously, but given that the pairs seen in Forsyth and Gamboa's imagery aren't obviously labeled as samples, there's a solid chance that Levi's Crocs have cleared the sampling stage and are in production for a drop in the not-so-distant future.
