Lee Jeans and Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Nick Zinner make sweet music together via agency Virtue

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LeeJeansJettsAndSwagger_1.jpgVirtue, Vice Magazine’s agency division, today announces its first creative brand campaign since landing the Lee Jeans account for Australia and New Zealand.

Through street posters, online, point of sale and magazines the campaign follows the agency’s work on a double-denim Christmas party (featuring a double-denim Santa outfit from fashion wunderkind Romance Was Born) and the brand’s Leeisure Cruise Lounge VIP Areas activation across this year’s St Jeromes Laneway Festivals.

“Virtue is rapt to be working with Lee Australia, a client that lovesmusic as much as we do. Together we’ve already decked out St JeromesLaneway Festival’s VIP areas and dressed Santa Claus in double-denim,and with this, our first creative campaign, we travelled to New YorkCity to work with the inimitable Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.It’s safe to say Nick slings a camera as well as he does his guitar,bringing a distinct edge, excitement and keen eye to his photography.We couldn’t be happier with what he’s produced.”  Michael Slonim,Virtue Australia Director.

LeeJeansJetts_1.jpgTo launch their rock’n’roll inspired Swagger and Jetts range for Winter’11 , Lee Jeans enlisted the eye of Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist andrising art photographer Nick Zinner. In his first-ever commercialassignment, the three-time Grammy Nominated musician responded with asuite of images that drip with life, attitude and NYC cool. None ofwhich is overly surprising from the man whose pictures are loved byeveryone from visionary director Spike Jonze to seminal musicphotographer Mick Rock.

Shot in locations around Manhattan’sEast Village, the campaign depicts a wild night out between a scrappyindie rocker and his blonde bombshell muse, all captured in Zinner’strademark documentary style. Constructing each scene like the rhythmtrack of a new song, the models were encouraged to bring whatever theysaw fit to each shot. This allowed for maximum spontaneity, which inturn lent an air of collaboration to the process and played to Zinner’sinstinctual approach.

“Zinner brings us behind the music for real.” Rolling Stone.

“The feeling I get from his photos is that he really loves the people he takes pictures of.” Spike Jonze (Director)

“Nick Zinner has a rock ‘n’ roll eye for the details of life.” Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth)

“He has an eye both lean and mean. He takes photos like he plays guitar.” Mick Rock (Photographer)

Swagger x Jetts

Inspired by therock’n’roll of the 1950s, Lee Jeans created a pair of silhouettes thatcombine iconic denim with a tough modern edge.

The men’srange, Swagger, takes cues from the iconic Lee 101 heritage rangemashing up 1950’s work wear with a healthy injection of contemporaryrock n’ roll. The shape features a semi drop-crotch, extended backpockets, tapered ankle and roll-up cuff. Available in six washesincluding both denim and chino fabrications, the jeans combine classicLee detailing such as hair-on-hide labels, left hand twill, premiumselvedge and the return of the heritage Lee zip fly.

For thewomen, the pin-up-esque Lee Jetts brings back the classic crop with asexy edge. Think super tight, metal trims, roll-up cuffs vs. ankle zipsand multi stitch and seam accents – grunge with a dash of glamour.Available in a range of five washes from low leatherette to classic midrinse denim, a splash of cranberry and indigo through to rocker black -all finished with the flattering and iconic Lee almond shaped backpocket.

Nick Zinner

Nick Zinner is the man behind someof the most memorable riffs in recent musical history. His band, TheYeah Yeah Yeahs combine rock, punk and dance, bringing a broad spectrumof fans together in a writhing mass of musical hedonism. Theirs is asound that, along with The Strokes and The White Stripes, has defined adecade of indie music. As a photographer, Zinner’s work has resulted intwo critically acclaimed books, “I Hope You Are All Happy Now” and”Please Take Me Off The Guest List” as well as solo shows around theworld.