The Beyhive has yet another reason to spend money and this time it’s on Levi Strauss & Co. jeans! Yes, Beyoncé always has something up her pant sleeve.
It’s just like the megastar to stay on theme with the era of her each of her albums. She did something similar with her Tiffany and Co. disco basement party themed commercial, which was backed by her song “SUMMER RENAISSANCE” from her Renaissance album. So why wouldn’t she and the 171-year-old American clothing company capitalize on her “LEVII’S JEANS” song and join forces for a Cowboy Carter themed campaign?
True Beyoncé fans probably predicted this the second they saw the track list for Cowboy Carter because of how strategic she is. Plus, everything she puts her name on flies off store shelves. We all remember the mass frenzy the world would go into go into every time Ivy Park had a new clothing drop. The Levi’s collaboration was confirmed on Sunday evening when Beyoncé posted on Instagram. Her post resembled a vintage billboard ad of a woman (presumably Beyoncé) wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. The word, “LAUNDERETTE” was highlighted at the top. Underneath the photo read, “REIMAGINED WITH BEYONCE MUSIC LEVII’S JEANS.” The post caption was, “Chapter 01 – 9:01pm PST / 12:01am EST.”
Just 1 minute after midnight, as promised, the official commercial was released. We see Beyoncé from behind andfrom her hips down, dressed in denim jeans carrying a metal pale into what is revealed to be a laundromat. Once she enters, “LEVII’S JEANS” starts to play. You can see that she is wearing a slightly cropped crisp white tee-shirt, high heels, and a denim cowboy hat. She walks up to a washing machine and pours the contents of the pale (which happens to be luxurious diamonds) into it the machine. She then takes off her belt and her Levi’s jeans revealing her Levi’s undergarments, places them into the washing machine and gracefully walks over to nearby seats while laundromat customers subtly watch and whisper. The commercial ends with her reading a newspaper as she grins from ear to ear with the words “Live in Levi’s” at the bottom of the screen.
This commercial may cause déjà vu for some. But if not here’s a quick history lesson. Levi’s aired the exact same commercial in1985 in the United Kingdom. Extremely handsome British singer, Nick Kamen, also walked into a laundromat, set in a small American town in the 1950s, stripped down to his undergarments, did his laundry, and sat down as customers watched him in shock and awe. The song that played in the background of this version was Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” According to the company itself, “This commercial sent the shrink-to-fit jean skyrocketing in popularity in Europe.” Can this reimagined Beyoncé version of “Launderette” do the same?
Even if the ad does not cause sales to “skyrocket” it was just enough to tease us as we are long overdue for Cowboy Carter visuals. But we appreciate it nonetheless! With this short commercial she provided us with a quick history lesson in fashion and simultaneously embodied her song’s lyrics. “Give you high fashion in a simple white tee.” Now we’re just patiently waiting for chapter 02.
