Hey, Levi's! Can San Francisco Be the Woke Test Market?
SNL kicked off its 43rd season on Saturday with Ryan Gosling, who proved that he is a talent worthy of the Hey-Girl meme obsession that he has inspired for years. While everyone will have their own take on what constituted Gosling's best performance of the episode, the Bay Area got its own subtle shoutout during the show's Levi's Wokes "commercial."
The faux-advertisement was promoting a new "sizeless, style-neutral, gender non-conforming denim for a generation that defies labels." If you don't have time to watch the skit, "Wokes" look like a pair of sludge-colored Hammer pants with a half hoop skirt cage around the hips for added volume. As Gosling leads the SNL cast in the commercial, he's styled remarkably similar to Oakland rapper G-Eazy, who (you may remember) also had his moment as a fashion darling several years ago when he was modeling for Justin Timberlake's denim line, William Rast.
Levi's seems to be laughing at the ad, and even tweeted SNL asking how many pairs of Wokes it should send to 30 Rock.
Look, I know these pants are a joke created for skit, but I've also seen some pretty improbable trends gain traction through crowdfunding in the Bay Area. Remember the Turtle-V? And the Suitsy? When it comes to apparel, San Francisco is a veritable Field of Dreams; if you build it, they will fund.
So get in there, Levi's. Make a pattern. Shoot a prototype. Launch a Kickstarter. This is the moment we find out how terrible San Francisco fashion can actually be.