Lee

Lee

Henry David Lee set up the HD Lee Mercantile Co in Kansas, 1889 specialising in the sale of fine goods, soon moving into the production of denim dungarees, overalls and loco jackets.

In 1924 Lee released the 101B Cowboy Pants, the first denim trouser specifically designed for cowboys and rodeo riders, followed by the 101Z in 1926, the first ever zip-fly jeans.

In 1944 they re-branded the cowboy range as Lee Riders and introduced the famous Lazy-S stitching on the back pockets.

In 2006 Lee Jeans‘ controversial “Lolita” ad poster for spring-summer 2006 was found to be acceptable by the Advertising Standards Board. Shot by renowned US photographer Terry Richardson. Lee Jeans is believed to have paid Richardson, $200,000 to shoot its spring-summer campaign - roughly 10 times what an Australian photographer would earn for the same campaign. If it was paying the provocateur for controversy, its investment was rewarded. The denim company described its campaign as a “tongue in cheek, kitschy and over-exaggerated portrayal of classic denim poses“.

We still can’t get enough of those famous skinny jeans, and it's all about how you wear them. In 2008 Lee has continued to be big on the gig scene promoting up and coming new talent.