Beyonce Levi’s ad pays tribute to Nick Kamen’s 1985 commercial for iconic 501s

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter paid homage to a legendary Eighties advert as she flashed her underwear in a Levi’s commercial.

The singer, 43, stripped off in the 30-second advert, entitled Chapter 1: Launderette, which was a modern replica of Nick Kamen’s iconic 1985 Levis 501 advert.

The clothing company will no doubt be hoping to replicate the original commercial’s success which sent sales of the jeans soaring by 500 per cent as demand failed to match supply.

Beyonce’s version features the Crazy In Love singer heading inside a laundry mat while carrying a bucket of diamonds and clad in a $98 pair of Levi’s Premium 501 90S Women’s Jeans.

Twin girls can be seen sitting in the laundrette as the music megastar strips down to showcase her 5ft6in figure in the snug boy-shorts and a $29.50 Levi’s Essential Sporty T-shirt.

The 32-time Grammy winner then grabs her empty bucket before taking a seat to patiently wait for her ‘laundry’ to finish.

Melina Matsoukas directed the spot for Beyoncé’s Reimagine campaign.

“My song Levi’s Jeans celebrates what I believe is the ultimate Americana uniform — something we all wear with pride,” Beyoncé said in a press release for the company.

“I am honoured to work with Levi’s to create quintessential American iconography. Denim on denim has often been seen through a male lens, so this reimagining campaign, which celebrates the iconic female perspective, is important to me. I look forward to exploring innovative ways for our visions to align in empowering women and honouring their strength.”

It won’t be the first time Beyonce’s star power has delivered dollars for the massive denim brand.

Levi Strauss & Co. reported a 20 per cent boost on their stock price, a 20 per cent rise in footfall at US stores, and $US1.2 million in additional revenue after the Texan singer name-dropped them in a country song.

“The Levi’s brand has and always will be the unofficial uniform for those moving forward in the pursuit of better,” Levi’s global CMO Kenny Mitchell said.

“We believe a key part of that is continuously breaking and building the codes of culture. In collaboration with Beyoncé, we explore the power of reimagination through this campaign, helping us to connect with our fans in new ways and supporting the growth of our women’s business as the definitive denim lifestyle brand.”

The original advert featured male model Kamen stripping off and washing his clothes in front of a host of onlookers to the sound of Marvin Gaye’s 1968 hit Heard It Through The Grapevine.

The advert, directed by Roger Lyons, led to a huge boost in sales for Levi and came fourth in a countdown of the 100 greatest ads of all time.

It caught the eye of many - including Madonna - who reached out to Kamen, leading to their collaboration, when she sent him a song she had written with Stephen Bray.

They then joined forces on the track and he became her protégé.

Kamen died in May 2021 at his luxury flat in Notting Hill at the age of 59 after secretly battling bone marrow cancer for four years.