Levis 2008 – Joseph Rodriguez Photographs Originals Never Fit Campaign

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A line of beautiful, but disdainful Californian Cheerleaders in front of the lockers, 2 tough cops stare through an open patrol car window, an aggressive and dismissive suburban dad stands protectively in front of his daughter, an audience sits shocked and silenced in an auditorium, a firing squad stands with guns poised in a hot, dusty enclosure, a prison officer peers through the grille of a cell... and all stare in disgust at... what? The original who didn’t quite fit, the maverick, the bad boy/girl, the rebel who knew they shouldn’t do it, but just did it anyway? It's for you to decide. This is the advertising campaign for Levis, which has actually generated a healthy online debate about the photographs and the double meaning of the strap line - Originals Never Fit.

Creators Simon Veksner and Nick Allsop can’t get over the fact that they have enlisted New York, reportage photographer Joseph Rodriguez, more used to photographing gang culture in LA or American kids in the juvenile justice system. To get the maximum emotional impact from the ads Rogriguez cast and motivated members of the public to take on the acting roles and selected amazing backdrops and locations. The result is a recapturing of the sense that Levis is a different, quirky and edgy brand whose customers are prepared to take on the system.

Rogriguez teaches at New York University, he has published many photographic essays highlighting social issues in America, has exhibited worldwide, won many awards and been published in many international magazines. In his youth he found caught up in the juvenile justice system, and in 2001 he created the website ‘juvenile justice’ with Human Rights Watch, read his amazing bio and see behind the scenes images from the campaign at the Levis site.

And just for fun watch this banned 501 ad from a few years ago...