You can’t talk about denim without mentioning Levi’s. Even when talking about Ralph Lauren Double RL’s limited-edition capsule collection with BEAMS PLUS, the Americana-obsessed strand of Japanese retail giant BEAMS, Levi’s is inescapable. 

This limited edition two-piece drop is an exact replica of Levi’s clothing from the 1940s, despite being produced by Ralph Lauren’s most insider-y sub-label. And proudly so.

Double RL has gone to great lengths to recreate Levi’s jeans created during World War II, when fabric rations demanded that the brand get creative with its garments. Anything deemed unnecessary was removed, including Levi’s decorative stitching on the back pockets (the arcuates) which led to Levi’s printing fake stitches, and pocket linings made from whatever Levi’s could get its hands on, from herringbone twill to checked shirting fabric. 

These details carry over onto the Double RL x BEAMS PLUS jeans, made from 16oz selvedge denim woven in Japan, home to the world’s best denim, and constructed in America. The same material informs a matching jacket, which recreates Levi’s TYPE 1 jackets from 1944, available only in sizes L (46), XL (48), and XXL (50) as they were in the ‘40s.

The novelty of wartime jeans production and the rarity of original pairs, means that denim garments of this era (and Levi’s own reproductions of it) are a collector's item amongst denim nerds. Trust Double RL, the Ralph Lauren line specializing in remaking cowboy-coded Americana, to create its own historically accurate version. And trust BEAMS to be the exclusive retailer selling the items.

BEAMS’ many Japanese stores are always awash with exclusive products, such as a Levi’s collaboration inspired by the same 1944 denim as this newest collection. It also often teams up with Ralph Lauren, however, it's really upping the ante this year. On February 2, the Polo Japanorak, a certified Ralph Lauren grail, released on the BEAMS website, and in the same week, it’s launching BEAMS PLUS’ one-off RRL line. 

That makes BEAMS undoubtedly the first retailer to recreate Levi’s 1944 denim with Levi’s and then remake the exact same design with another brand.

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