Fashion Design Contest - Project 501 - opportunity to re-design a fashion icon

January 29, 2008 – 4:31 pm

As an extension of Levi’s partnership with The Weinstein Company, Miramax and Bravo’s Project Runway, the brand launched a community site today called – Project 501. The site, provides aspiring designers nationwide the unique opportunity to re-design a fashion icon—the Original 501 Jean—and allows non-designers to select and choose their favorite.

Based on the results of the public’s online voting, the winning design will produced by Levi’s and sold exclusively on website. In addition to the design from the online challenge, the winning design from last night’s show is currently available for sale on website.

The Original Levi’s 501 jean was the creative inspiration for challenge No. 9 in the fourth season of Project Runway. The challenge was introduced by Levi’s Senior Vice President of Design Caroline Calvin and Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn on the industrial docks of Brooklyn facing Manhattan. Calvin explained that Levi Strauss left from the Brooklyn dock in 1853 and headed to San Francisco, where in 1873 he created what has become one of the most popular and celebrated pieces of apparel in history—the blue jean. Calvin then challenged the show’s contestants to create a design as creative, innovative and youthful in spirit as the 501.

The 501 jean is probably the greatest piece of apparel every created. It has stood the test of time as one of the most versatile garments, and it made for a very a tough design challenge," said Tim Gunn of Project Runway.

The 501 has been adopted and embraced by so many different cross sections of our culture. Each generation has made their own imprint on the 501. The young and talented designers of Project Runway offer up a fresh perspective on the original jean that truly started it all," offers Robert Cameron, Levi’s Vice President of Marketing.

Interested candidates can become a member of Project 501 at www.levi.com/project501 starting January 23, 2008 at 11 p.m. PST. Contestants may submit their designs online through February 6, 2008. Fans will be able to judge and vote for their favorite designs. Additionally, Levi’s® designers will blog on the site to provide feedback and inspiration to the designs.

The top 20 designs will be announced during the week of February 21, 2008. The final winner will be announced online during the week of February 28.

A full guerilla marketing campaign will accompany the site using rich media online, wild postings and even napkins in restaurants, bars and coffee shops. The guerilla campaign is strategically targeted around design centers in New York and Los Angeles such as the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parson’s Design School and New York City’s School of Visual Arts.