Levi’s has reunited with Japanese select shop URBAN RESEARCH for a second collaborative denim capsule, available for pre-order from July 20. The collection expands on their first partnership, deepening the exploration of vintage Levi’s archetypes through a Japanese retail lens.
URBAN RESEARCH’s contribution extends beyond curation to design input on details: the use of aged-brass buttons, a custom off-white thread for the arcuate stitching, and a paper patch made from a heavyweight stock that develops patina with wear. These are the details that denim enthusiasts — the core audience for this capsule — will recognise and reward.
The collaboration is available through URBAN RESEARCH’s own retail network in Japan and its international e-commerce platform, as well as through a limited number of Levi’s premium doors worldwide. The pre-order model, a holdover from the brands’ first collaboration, allows the partners to gauge demand before committing to production runs — a prudent approach in a denim market that has seen inventory discipline become a competitive advantage.
The capsule draws from Levi’s deep archive of workwear silhouettes, reinterpreted through URBAN RESEARCH’s distinctly Japanese editorial sensibility. Key pieces include a reissued 1940s 501XX in a 12.5-ounce Japanese selvedge denim, a Type III trucker jacket in a washed black indigo, and a western shirt cut from a lighter 10-ounce denim that allows for year-round layering.
