Levi’s Reproduces One of Its Most Coveted Vintage Jackets, but There’s a Catch

During WWII, every American business was forced to make sacrifices and accommodations to support the war effort.

Levi’s adapted to wartime rationing, imposed by the American government, by simplifying designs to exclude non-essential details and use less metal and fabric.

Levi’s

During the 1940s, Levi’s was already one of the world’s largest producers of denim clothing. Rather than cut back on overall production, the brand got creative with streamlining designs to meet market demands with the materials available.

Jeans, denim jackets and overalls were still primarily professional clothing worn by America’s booming working class, which reached an all-time high with the assistance of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Accordingly, once America entered the war in December 1941, Levi’s denim clothing was regulated by the War Production Board.

Levi’s

Levi’s jeans, like the 501, underwent notable changes, such as the removal of the crotch rivet — which only returned on Levi’s Vintage reproductions — and the decorative stitching on the back pockets.

Jackets were simplified by removing pocket flaps and a couple of buttons — one from the front and one from the flap. The most famous example is the S506xx, a Type I jacket that collectors came to know as the “Great War Jacket” or simply the “War Model.”

The “S” was added to the model name to denote “Simplified,” and the changes took effect only in 1944, less than two years before the war ended. Very few were made, compared to the standard Type I, and no one saw them as special at the time, so the few that survive have become a top-tier grails for Levi’s collectors and denim heads.

Less costs more

Surviving examples of S506xx jackets from the 1940s go for over $10,000 on the vintage market. But Levi’s has reproduced the design with stitch-for-stitch accuracy multiple times.

Levi’s

A limited run of S506xx jackets was released in America in the summer of 2025, but they sold out in a flash. Fortunately for anyone hunting down the elusive jean jacket, a fresh batch just hit the market in Japan, where the jacket is produced — an irony not lost on anyone.

Levi’s Japan held an auction on January 16 to land an S506xx at face value. However, it was offered only to customers in the Japanese market, through the Levi’s website and in-store.

Availability and price

The good news for American denim heads is that, thanks to the iron-clad laws of supply and demand, prices for S506xx reproductions on the resale market appear to have dropped. I made a quick search before the auction, and couldn’t find anything under $1,000, but second-hand prices have since dropped to the $500 range.

Happy hunting, fellow Levi’s fanatics.

Levi’s Vintage

Levi’s Vintage Clothing S506xx 1944 “War Model”

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