Samuel Levi is a man on a mission to provide inclusive, affordable accessories to his 33.7k style-savvy social media followers. Levi is launching his brand new watch collection on the 1st of November, and the social media hype is just kicking into gear. Fennec & Friends caught up with Levi to find out all the details…
A watch collection may seem like an obscure starting point for a budding designer, but for Levi the decision was intuitive. Timepieces are a favourite accessory of Levi’s, and an item which consumers constantly wear. “I wanted to design something that I like, and that other people would enjoy wearing and gifting,” said Levi. Regarding aesthetics, Levi’s vat of fashion-related travel informed many of his creative choices. “Across the fashion centres of the world, I saw a lot of similarity in accessories, and I decided I wanted to make that available to my followers while putting my own spin on it,” he added. His timepieces are simple, elegant and infinitely wearable, a classic approach befitting of a classic accessory.
SL Collection is targeted at the younger demographic, with an appealing fluidity that is genuine to Levi, and not a marketing gimmick. The collection is unisex, a point which Levi emphasises. “I didn’t want to label things,” he explained, “I wanted my collection to be open to anyone.” This includes the rose gold and pink watches which are traditionally more feminine pieces but are included under Levi’s unisex umbrella. While some larger clothing brands have tried to go down the ‘unisex’ route with notably subpar results, SL Collection has an authentic approach. This authenticity undoubtedly originates from Levi’s social media voice, branding and the inclusive feel of his social media presence – a perfect example of an influencer utilising their personality to create an offering which appeals to savvy Millennial shoppers. The target market is primarily Levi’s social media audience, the majority of whom are youthful and style-conscious, although this caused additional considerations during the design and manufacturing process. “When I was looking at my audience, I realised because they are younger if I wanted the collection to be attractive I would have to have a lower price point,” said Levi. SL Collection has two ranges; the Classic range which retails at NZD 129, and the Minimal collection which is priced slightly lower at NZD 99.
Having worked in fashion for six years, attended fashion events across the globe and garnered a significant social media following for his impeccable style, Levi is a familiar face in the fashion industry. Despite this, his foray into design is still noteworthy for the fact that Levi has no formal design training; a factor which has not hindered him at all. “If you have a vision and work hard enough, you will be able to bring that to life – with or without training,” explained Levi, “any areas where I needed help, I could find someone who knew the answer.” Manufacture was based in Hong Kong, and Levi flew back and forth in order to explain designs, oversee production and personally check quality.
SL Collection will be launching exclusively on styledlevi.com, although Levi has set his sights on physical stockists. “By summer I’d love to have the collection in a few retail stores, although I’m not sure which stores yet. I am keeping an eye out for the perfect places to carry the collection.
