Australian artist Lottie Rae has put her signature Western-inspired artwork on denim for the second time, partnering with Levi’s on a limited-edition collection of hand-embroidered Trucker Jackets.
The collection sees Rae reimagine the iconic Levi’s Trucker Jacket through her cowgirl character, Dollie, with each piece featuring exclusive artwork embroidered by hand, making every jacket slightly different – and was produced in collaboration with fellow Australian artist Kai Brown from amR, who worked alongside Rae and Levi’s to bring the latest design to life.
The partnership follows the success of Rae’s previous Levi’s collection, which reportedly sold out in just 30 seconds last year.
In comments shared with B&T, Rae said the collection allowed her to bring the themes and characters that define her artwork into a new medium.
“Horses, cowboys and that sense of nostalgia have become such a big part of my work, so I wanted the jacket to feel unmistakably like one of my paintings, just in a new form,” she said.
“I love that if you know my work, you’ll hopefully look at Dollie and immediately know she belongs in the Lottie Rae world.”
Rae said Levi’s was a natural fit for her work because of the connection between denim and Western culture, adding that she liked the idea of people wearing her artwork and incorporating it into their own lives.
“I love the idea of taking an artwork off the wall and putting it onto something people will actually live in. They’ll take it with them, make their own memories in it, and my artwork gets to become a little part of their story too,” she said.
“Hopefully some of these jackets might even become pieces that are passed down from one generation to the next.”
For Rae, who is still relatively new to working as a full-time artist, the second collection marks a significant milestone.
Originally from a small town in regional New South Wales, Rae said the people, places and memories she grew up around continue to shape her work.
“I’ve never felt the need to move away from that, if anything, I’ve leaned further into it and trusted the things that make my work feel like mine,” she said.
“To see that work embraced by Levi’s on this scale is a pretty incredible milestone. It feels like a reminder that the things that make your work uniquely yours are the things worth holding onto.”
Just 200 jackets are available through Levi’s Australia’s website and its Bondi store. Each jacket is individually numbered.
