LEE JEANS® PARTNERS WITH JAMEL SHABAZZ TO CELEBRATE 130 YEARS OF STYLE words Andrea Ward - images courtesy of Lee Jeans®
American label Lee Jeans® has teamed up with legendary street style photographer, Jamel Shabazz. Lee® is a brand whose heritage is recognized all around the globe and whose innovative design has revolutionized the denim movement and lived on throughout history as we know. The American label was at the beginning of this movement and helped to set the foundations of the denim industry and even though their history dates back 130 years ago, Lee® has been able to maintain its design and quality integrity from start to now while influencing the wardrobe of generations with a forward-thinking approach to design and style.
Lee® is also known for its unshakable and undeniable credentials in the hip-hop world and this has become a point of reference and inspiration for this ever so important anniversary. Combining the special occasion with this coming season's demands Lee® has looked into its archives to create a Spring/Summer 2019 collection that celebrates their innovative style and influence in hip-hop by reworking pieces that are filled with "that old school attitude" that was captured beautifully by pioneering photographer Jamel Shabazz.
Jamel was in charge of capturing some of the most enduring images from the birth of the hip-hop scene in New York which became one of the elements that defined a generation of fresh new artists exploring music in their time. The collaboration between Lee® and Jamel can be called the perfect match as the photographer has brought into S/S'19 an authentic approach as he takes inspiration - and locations - from his original book Back in the Days. As a result of the collaboration between them, the collab, titled Back to Today is set to be released as a limited-edition book of the same title. The book is a worthy celebration of 1980’s hip-hop style while reimagining it.
And it doesn't end there as along with the models, Shabazz’s has brought to the set some of his own friends and creatives as well as street-casting New Yorkers whose aesthetic exemplifies the authentic hip-hop styling. Amongst those street-cast stars are Kool-Out-K and DJ Lee Rock, whose genuine love of the 1980s has caused them to become local heroes and a source of inspiration for many hip-hop and style lovers.
