How Levi’s Ended Up Collaborating With Off-White, Supreme, Vetements, And Gosha Rubchinskiy

As it turns out, like your late night Saturday plans, some of Levi’s most high-profile recent business initiatives go down in the DM. Take, for instance, the denim giant’s Spring 2017 collaboration with designer-of-the-moment Gosha Rubchinskiy. “The collaboration came about quite unexpectedly, through an Instagram message sent by one of my colleagues,” Levi’s head of design Jonathan Cheung tells Complex. “Gosha gave us a thumbs up emoji, and it started from there.” In taking that informal stance, it helps, of course, that Levi’s is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, with tens of thousands of employees, billions of dollars in revenue, and a proven track record of wildly successful fashion partnerships. It’s frankly surprising that Rubchinskiy had the restraint to respond with only a thumbs up emoji, and not a string of prayer hands, crying smiley faces, and an eggplant. Not only is there, as Off-White designer Virgil Abloh told us about his collaboration with Levi’s this season, “no better luxury than working with the best,” but a co-sign from the denim masters vaults you into elevated company. In the latter part of 2016 alone, Levi’s unveiled collaborations with a powerhouse highlights reel of cool: Rubchinsky and Off-White, and also Supreme and Vetements. Read more at Complex.