Black History Month is a time to look back on and celebrate the significant contributions Black Americans have made to our culture and communities for centuries. Today, we’re shining a light on legendary Hollywood designer Bill Whitten, whose iconic designs were worn by celebrities for decades and who created one of the latest additions to the Levi Strauss & Co. Archives — a custom denim suit for Sir Elton John.
From Alabama to Hollywood 
Born on October 4, 1944, in Bessemer, Alabama, Bill Whitten’s creativity ran in the family. Unlike his painter brother, Jack Whitten, however, Bill’s medium of choice was fabric.
Leaving home for Los Angeles, Bill’s skills as a tailor led him to Hollywood, where he eventually opened Workroom 27, a custom shirt business in the early 1970s. “The tiny shop was virtually invisible,” noted a 1990 Los Angeles Times article. “It was open for six months before the first customer walked through the door.”
In 1974, Bill Whitten had a breakthrough, when Neil Diamond discovered Workroom 27 and spread the word about the custom creations. Bill’s celebrity clientele quickly built up, and early customers included the Commodores, the Jacksons and stars on the Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx television shows.
Throughout his career, Bill Whitten’s creations catapulted celebrities into style. He designed unforgettable statement looks ranging from the single white rhinestone glove Michael Jackson wore at the Grammys, to the blue and silver beaded jacket Lionel Richie wore on stage to close out the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
But Bill didn’t stop with glitter — he also dabbled with denim.
A Denim Suit Fit For an Icon 
Elton John’s custom denim suit is among Bill’s early 1970s designs. Fashioned out of deconstructed blue jeans patched together, the denim tuxedo jacket is nipped in at the waist over bell bottoms. The jacket is decorated with sequins, ribbon, rich brocade fabric and a rare buffalo head nickel coin repurposed as a front button. A “Bill Whitten’s Workroom 27” label is stitched inside.
Levi’s® 501® jeans shine through as the star of the outfit, providing the key signature blue jeans element throughout the patchwork denim suit. The suit even includes a sewn-in Levi’s® waistband and a yellowed 501® back patch that acts as a branding embellishment and provides contrast to the blue color on the front left thigh of the pants. Bill also embellished the outfit with Levi’s® pockets, complete with their distinctive Arcuate stitching.
“Whitten’s most inventive decorations appear on tuxedos,” noted the Los Angeles Times. “Whitten sews metal sequins on 150-year-old, hand-loomed fabric from the Far East . . . Scrolls of embroidery decorate the shoulders . . .” 
This innovative, decorative approach is especially visible on the Elton John suit, which includes intricate tapestry and sequined flowers that adorn the back of the jacket and the sleeves.
In 1988, the suit was auctioned off by Sotheby’s in London, with all proceeds going to Elton’s AIDS Foundation. In November 2024, I placed the winning bid on the suit when Julien’s auctioned it off in their Played, Worn & Torn sale. The suit is now preserved in our Archives at LS&Co. headquarters in San Francisco.
Bill Whitten died of cancer in 2006, but his designs, including his custom denim Elton John suit, remain a tangible reflection of his life’s work.
