Responding to my 18-year-old self through the 501XX.

LEVI’S 501XX - REBUILD VINTAGE

Answering my 18-year-old self with the 501XX.

Good evening. This is cantáte Matsushima.

Do you remember the denim made by dismantling deadstock 501XX jeans and transferring them onto a cantáte pattern?

📎Rebuilding a garment with the 501XX. Along with an entire life.

Thankfully, it received a tremendous response, and it also gave me the opportunity to feel once again that “the 501XX really is something special.”

Honestly, I’m not sure it was “complete” yet at that point.

That’s because the goal of this project wasn’t reached the moment we used deadstock.

I always thought that it only truly becomes complete after being worn, washed, and brought into everyday life.

So this time, I’m introducing a personal pair that I have actually been wearing very frequently since last September.

The fading is spectacular, even if I do say so myself.

 

A leather patch made for this project. A green stamp for which we even created the font.

 

All the buttons have been reused.

 

When I was 18, deadstock 501XX jeans existed only in magazines.

They were something you looked at through the glass display case in a vintage clothing shop, and of course they weren’t affordable.

Even if I had been able to buy them, I think I would have been too afraid to wear them.

 

Because to my younger self back then, they were an aspiration like “adult things” such as nightlife, alcohol, and cigarettes.

So I think what would surprise my 18-year-old self most upon seeing these now isn’t the fading.

“I really wear them every day.”

I think that is the point.

 

If I had been my younger self back then, I would have been too afraid to wear them this much.

I absolutely wouldn’t wear it on a rainy day, and sitting on the floor would have been out of the question.

In fact, I haven’t been especially careful with this denim from the beginning.

I sit on the floor normally, get straight into the car, and have been caught in the rain. I’ve traveled in them, worn them while preparing exhibitions, and don’t pay particular attention when crouching.

I think vintage denim had parts that made you feel a little cautious while wearing it.

“Oh, this looks like it might tear.”

“I don’t want to put any more strain on it.”

But the thread used for the stitching this time isn’t the deteriorated thread from back then; it has modern strength, so in extreme terms, squats are no problem.

Of course, I wanted to retain the distinctive atmosphere and character of the 501XX.

But if you can’t wear them without being careful, they felt slightly different to me.

I wasn’t trying to reproduce vintage,

“A 501XX you can properly wear in everyday life”

I think what I wanted to create was this.

 

In fact, as you can see, I wear them quite frequently,

Before I knew it, I was wearing these almost exclusively.

The reason is simple.

It’s comfortable, you know.

Of course, the comfort is part of it, but more than that, it makes you feel at ease.

It works with a jacket and with a T-shirt. It works with leather shoes and naturally fits with sandals.

But that isn’t the biggest thing.

To my 18-year-old self, the 501XX was an object of admiration, but also something slightly frightening.

Even if I had managed to acquire a pair, I probably wouldn’t have worn it on rainy days, and I think I would have hesitated to sit on the floor.

I didn’t want to damage it.

I didn’t want to diminish its value.

 

I’m sure that is all I used to think about.

But things are different now.

Wear it normally, wash it normally, and live normally.

This is the denim we made for that purpose.

 

In the end, I think that is the most important thing about denim.

 

Before you think, “I want to wear this today,” you find your hand reaching for it.

Truly good denim is probably something like that.

If we are talking only about fading, there are countless denims that fade much more dramatically.

Or strong whiskers.

Things like vertical fading.

Of course, that is one way of presenting it.

But what I realized again this time is that, in the end, that isn’t what I like about it.

It fades a little, gets a little scuffed, and the hem becomes worn.

Even when viewed as a whole, it simply looks good.

Rather,

“Simply looks good”

That is the most difficult part.

With denim, if you try too hard, it suddenly becomes impossible to wear.

But this pair still works even when you wear it without being overly careful.

I feel like we’ve come quite close to the ideal there.

Because I didn’t make this fabric, I need to understand the intentions of the people who did.

Since we use the W76-inch front buttons as they are, the button fly has three buttons.

 

The selvedge has also developed a nice, weathered character.

 

With an original, I think this area would become badly worn.

What do you think?

 

When I was younger, I felt tense whenever I saw deadstock.

But now, I prefer denim that has been properly worn and washed, with someone’s life reflected in it, over pieces kept in pristine storage.

Because that is probably what is right for clothing.

What I wanted to show my 18-year-old self wasn’t a vintage pair in perfect preservation.

Actually worn every day.

Actually washed.

Actually used in everyday life.

A pair that still looks good despite all that.

What I’m introducing this time is a cantáte 501XX that has actually been worn continuously in that way.

I feel like it has finally become the actual piece I wanted to show my younger self back then.

Back then, I probably wasn’t looking at the fading at all.

What would probably be most surprising is,

“You really wear them.”

I think it comes down to that one phrase.

cantáte 501XX - REBUILD VINTAGE

This year, we are accepting orders based on the Denim Straight Trousers.
26 / 28 / 30 / 32 / 34 / 36 inches

Please choose your preferred size. We can also discuss the inseam length.

※All items will be delivered in an unwashed, deadstock condition. Depending on humidity and storage conditions, they may shrink less or more than expected. Please understand this in advance.

Lead time: 3 months
Price: ASK (Please inquire)
Limited quantity: 3 pairs
Release date: Saturday, June 20, 2026

Purchase requirement: Customers who have previously purchased cantáte denim

If you live far away or would like to purchase by mail order, please contact us by email or Instagram DM.

We will accommodate your requests as much as possible.

 

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