The Making of the Ornamental Conifer x Levi's Eureka Lab 2015 Capsule

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"My vision in regards to the Levi's project is a direct reflection of where my head is at aesthetically right now."

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"I have been exploring repeat patterns and ornamentation lately and envisioned the final piece to be elaborate, over the top, super hype and above all, eye catching."

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"I wanted the paint to stain the fabric, so that in the long run, once it was stonewashed back it would leave a ghost pattern."

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"I used acrylic paint, sometimes mixing it with a fabric medium to act as a binder with the [denim] fibers."

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"When I applied the paint it really needed to be stippled deep into the weave in order to withstand the stone washing treatment I had in mind."

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Ornamental Conifer's denim arrives at the Levi's Eureka Lab in San Francisco, CA.

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"I specified that the panels I painted should be cut and sewn regardless of where the designs were painted. That way, the seams would not match, the lettering or symbols would not join, [but] rather jar against each other, complimenting each other as abstract forms rather than individual subjects."

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The Eureka Lab's tailors transform the custom denim into iconic Levi's product.

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Tailors sew in the unmistakable Levi's leather back patch.

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Discussing the final design details with Levi's Head of Global Design, Jonathan Cheung.

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Eureka Lab's stamp of approval.

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The unwashed, fully-assembled Levi's Trucker Jacket and 501® jeans.

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The custom stonewash "recipe" for Ornamental Conifer.

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The stone washing begins.

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"The pieces turned out exactly how I wanted them. Thanks to the team at Eureka, who clearly know their shit when it comes to denim. It was a pleasure and an honor to work with such a legit denim brand such as Levi's."

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"I'm stoked on how the final pieces turned out. It's like a piece of my brain made into clothes."

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The goal of San Francisco’s Eureka Lab, which first opened in 2013, is to provide the space for the brand’s denim specialists to experiment with existing silhouettes while imbuing products with modern technologies. Its processes precede mass development, meaning any new fit or material is tested in the Eureka Lab before it hits the market. The highly-successful Commuter collection is just an example of its productions. This season, we find Levi’s Eureka Lab working directly with one Nicolai Sclater – the British artist perhaps better known as Ornamental Conifer – on a creative new capsule. Like the margins of a notebook, Ornamental Conifer’s work expresses irreverent, bold, and boyishly honest exclamations in hand-drawn glory. It is voraciously drawn on canvases, skateboards, T-shirts, helmets, leather jackets – pretty much anything the artist can touch. Before arriving at the Levi’s Eureka Lab, Ornamental Conifer was handed a roll of premium white Levi’s denim to customize. From there he went to work — drawing, coloring and customizing this blank canvas to represent an original printed textile. Once complete, the custom printed fabric was then processed into a one-off capsule comprised of the iconic Levi’s Trucker jacket and 501 jeans. The artist worked closely with Levi’s Head of Global Design, Jonathan Cheung, throughout the process, collaborating on design details, comparing color options for rivets and deciding the placement of the signature leather Levi’s patch. Finally, the pieces were finished with a wearing process to give them a worn, vintage look. Enjoy a look at the making of this special capsule in the gallery above.

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