Overcoming Artistic Challenges with High-Performance Foams

Creative foam solutions: bringing iconic art to life for Levi’s Live Unbuttoned Campaign

Levi Jeans, as part of their Live Unbuttoned 501 campaign in London in 2008, wanted to create a captivating multimedia outdoor wall poster inspired by The Great Wave at Kanagawa. They partnered with Kewell Converters, who used Plastazote® high-performance foams to fabricate intricate designs.

Introduction

Levi Jeans, a global leader in the denim industry, aimed to make a bold statement with their Live Unbuttoned 501 campaign in London. The campaign sought to engage the urban audience through creative and visually striking advertisements. They decided to create a large-scale multimedia outdoor wall poster inspired by Katsushika Hokusai’s famous artwork, The Great Wave at Kanagawa. To bring this artistic vision to life, they turned to Kewell Converters, tasking us with developing an intricate design which used Azote foam to create the precise contours on top of the waves.

The Problem

The advertising agency faced a significant challenge—they needed to fabricate the complex design of the foam on top of the waves using actual foam. Additionally, traditional blue Levi jeans were to represent the sea, forming eight-foot-high denim waves, all secured onto a foam backing. The posters were destined for high-traffic locations in London, including Chalk Farm Road, Camden, Wardour Street, Soho, and Shoreditch High Street. The intricate nature of the design required a material that could be easily manipulated while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetic appeal, with strict quality assurance to ensure durability in high-visibility settings.

The Solution

Kewell Converters identified Plastazote® high-performance foams as the ideal material for this project due to their versatility and ease of manipulation. Zotefoams, the world’s leading manufacturer of polyolefin block foams, provided the Plastazote®, Evazote®, and Supazote® brands, collectively known as ‘Azote®’ foams. These foams are characterised by their lightweight, consistent cell size, depth of colour, and lack of in-built stresses, making them perfect for artistic applications.

The key features of Azote® foams include:

• Manipulability: The foams could be cut, carved, welded, laminated, and manipulated with ease
• Thermoforming capability: They could be easily thermoformed at relatively low temperatures, suitable for creating complex shapes
• Lightweight and durable: Despite their lightweight nature, the foams offered outstanding physical performance characteristics

By leveraging these properties, Kewell Converters sculpted the intricate foam designs representing the crest of the waves. They used traditional blue Levi jeans to depict the sea, creating eight-foot-high denim waves secured onto the foam backing. The process involved cutting, carving, and thermoforming the foam to match the artistic vision accurately.

Results

The collaboration resulted in a series of visually stunning and unique campaign posters for Levi’s Live Unbuttoned 501 campaign. The posters gained significant attention and admiration from passersby and the media alike. Placed in prime locations in London, the posters left a lasting impression on passers by, perfectly capturing the essence of the campaign.

Results included:

• Increased footfall: The eye-catching design drew more foot traffic to the locations where the posters were displayed
• Media coverage: The innovative use of foam and denim garnered significant media attention, further amplifying the campaign’s reach
• Brand engagement: The unique and artistic approach resonated with the audience, enhancing brand engagement and recall.

Conclusion

The successful partnership between Levi Jeans and Kewell Converters demonstrates the power of combining artistic vision with innovative foam materials. By leveraging the unique properties of Plastazote® foams, Kewell Converters overcame the challenge of fabricating intricate designs, resulting in a set of campaign posters that captivated the audience.

Read more of our customer case studies including Masuri and Kewell Converters: Redefining safety standards in cricket helmets and From concept to retail reality: creating foam parts for the fashion and retail industry.

Contact us now to learn more about how Kewell Converters’ foam solutions can help to create unforgettable campaigns for your business.