Not compromising its distinctive style, the new Levi’s ® Copper™ jeans appealed to youthful crowd who turned up for the Levi’s® Fashion Show on Mar 29 at Ngee Ann City, Civic Plaza.

One of the most highly anticipated brands to showcase their collection at the Singapore Fashion Festival 2007, Levi’s® new Copper™ jeans explained why so many Singaporeans religiously swear by the simple yet perennially fashionable Levi’s.

And it was a star-studded evening nonetheless, with celebrities like Randall Tan, Andrea De Cruz and acclaimed models like Nadya Hutagalung, Sarah Tan, and Denise Keller in attendance. Also among the audience were representatives from L’Oreal,Nokia and the Singapore Tourism Board.

It was certainly a trip down memory lane as Levi’s® took us back in time to an era when they made jeans solely for the purpose of helping loggers and miners battle the most brutal conditions in 1873.

Using a slideshow of desert terrain and a live DJ cleverly fusing indie and grunge rock, the 30min show launched Levi’s® Copper™ jeans and also gave the audience a preview into the Fall/Winter range.

Those miner jeans soon became known as the Levi’s® 501 jeans. But to hype up that old worn out look, this masculine new collection sports vintage finishes of copper stitching that outlines the pockets and the side streams, handcrafted copper rivets at the pocket corners and specifically contoured and skewed back pockets.

The distinctive Levi’s® Two Horse patch has also been altered into an unusual shape. The jeans come in middle to dark tone vintage finishing with names that draw reference to the Old West like Gold Rush and Orange County. It also has hints of scrape and paper crease marks for that worn-out feel.

Echoing the strong, rugged feel of the new collection, chiseled models like Ricki Noel Lander and Marco Dapper wore low slung utility belts as they strutted along a leveled runway accompanied by a backdrop of huge, flashing construction lights.

And what’s always admirable about Levi’s® collection is their apparent versatility. Shunning size-0 models, Levi’s® Copper™ jeans instead embraced the ordinary non-anorexic looking models.

These models certainly pulled it off with tees and checked shirts which had a grimy feel. All of which were designed by stylishly-casual brand, Barking Irons, that teamed up with Levi’s ® for this collection.

Surrounded by ardent fans of Levi’s®, this new collection had the firm stamp of approval from its club members. Clearly hyped up by the heady experience, Adam, 19, enthused about the new collection, “They look fresh and original! I can see myself in those.”

Sharing his sentiments was Nadya Hutagalung who constantly exchanged looks of approval with a lady friend.

As impressive as everything was, the highlight of the show had to be Levi’s ® contribution to the charity fashion show, Singapore Fashion Festival 2007 Red Dress Campaign, where all proceeds will go to the Singapore Heart Foundation, from Mar 23 to Apr 1 at Wisma Atria.

Designed by Levi’s® with renowned local fashion designer Frederick Lee, the unexpected blend of sturdy, old school denim and girly but sexy red frills drew astounding applause and some looks of undisguised surprise from the audience as the only African (Kenyan to be exact) model, Antoinette Ataro (who has won Urban’s Best Model for the past 2 years), sashayed down the runway amongst the other Caucasian models in that outfit.

Undoubtedly, the Levi’s® Fashion Show was most definitely, one of the better shows at the Singapore Fashion Festival 2007.

All photos courtesy of May Lin Le Goff.