NIGO & Pals Help Levi's Revive Trailblazing '90s Denim
Unless you're a particular subset of Depop thrifter, you probably aren't too savvy on Levi's SilverTab, the big n' baggy denim collection that Levi's discontinued decades ago. There's no better time to get acquainted, though, as American denim giant finally reintroduces Silvertab jeans to the market.
Need proof that this is a major moment in denimistory? (that's denim + history, a word I just made up) Look no further than this campaign that NIGO, certified Levi's Friend, directed with a bunch of his pals.
Levi's SilverTab actually relaunched earlier this summer and is available at both big box retailers and Levi's own website but the imagery and video created under NIGO's direction was only just issued.
I wasn't always a fan of Levi's SilverTab, unlike Levi's RED, the avant-garde Levi's line that I obsessed over from the jump.
But that's only because I didn't really know much about SilverTab. It was launched in the late '80s and became a go-to for Gen-X in the '90s, with its baggy cuts and soft, pre-faded fabrics making it ideal for the decade's grungy loafers.
Levi's itself pushed the big look but, by the late aughts, it shifted focus from SilverTab and eventually discontinued the line.
That doesn't mean that SilverTab was entirely forgotten, mind you.
Younger fashion labels aped the spirit of SilverTab's enormous denim pants while skaters and a new generation of vintage-obsessed Depop shoppers began hunting OG SilverTab jeans down.
"I think what’s made them so popular is that there are no brands that are making baggy fits like that anymore," Sam Trotman said when Levi's issued a curated SilverTab selection in late 2020. "People are buying vintage to get that OG ’90s fit and authentic character that you just don't get in new jeans today."
Less than two years later, Levi's brought SilverTab back in full, ushering in a new era of loose fit.
NIGO's introductory campaign includes a host of famous friends — including Verdy, CHAI, young rappers chelmico, old rappers Scha Dara Parr, and kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa — who showcase the new-old '90s-inspired Levi's in full.
There's a lot of stuff here, too, from T-shirts branded with the OG SilverTab logo to the classic baggy-fit jeans, shorts, and overalls that made SilverTab a hit back in the day.
Levi's relaunch is well-timed. As Y2K trends spike interest in late '90s style, giant jeans have been given new life, much like SilverTab itself.
