netrashetty
Netra Shetty
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO) is a privately held clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1869 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, (Kingdom of Bavaria) to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business. Although the company began producing denim overalls in the 1870s, modern jeans were not produced until the 1920s. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with employee ownership and a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants and relatives of Levi Strauss' four nephews.
The Levi’s® brand has introduced a uniquely local campaign to celebrate South Africa and being South African at a time when we’re all feeling exceptionally proud of our awesome country and people. The campaign focus is a limited edition range of clothing under the “Levi’s® Loves Local” banner. The product range is anchored in brightly coloured – yet still iconic - Levi’s® 501® jeans and a series of bold graphics echoing through hoodies, sweaters, belts, caps, footwear and bodywear. The graphics were proudly designed by young local artists who were invited to participate in the project. Vibrant, colorful and very reflective of South Africa and the South Africa culture, the range is a reflection of the brand’s love for the country and its people. “The Levi’s® brand is a global brand that’s also proudly South African – we’ve been a part of this country for over 15 years. We’ve been proud supporters of local music and musicians with our long-standing sponsorship of major local music festivals. We also feature local music at least 50% of the time in our stores and showcase local music artists on our in-store imagery whenever possible. It doesn’t end there – we’re also committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa (our biggest social issue), facilitating HIV testing through mobile testing centres, and distributing free branded condoms. And that’s because Levi's® really does love local,” said Debbie Gebhardt, Marketing Director for Levi Strauss South Africa. The creative concept for the campaign showcases both the colorful and versatile product range and South Africa’s rainbow nation of races and cultures in unity. This limited edition range is available now from Levi's® Stores and selected Markham™ Stores.
They're not the first "green jeans" to go on the market, but Levi's says its new eco jeans are the first fully sustainable denims from a major brand.
The trousers, which go on sale tomorrow in 20 Levi's stores across the UK, are made with completely organic materials on a production line that uses sustainable production processes.
"It's not only organic fabric but the other components are also organic; the finish we use is totally organic too," said Geert Peeters, the vice-president of product management. "The whole process of how the jeans are made is also organic."
The jeans are made with 100% organic cotton denim, have a coconut shell button on the waistband and non-galvanised metal fly buttons. The indigo finish has been produced from potato starch, mimosa flower and Marseille soap. They are produced in a dedicated area of the Levi's factory in Hungary, on machinery that has been specially cleaned to comply with the certification process.
The process of designing the jeans and putting the processes in place to make them took six months from when Levi's came up with the idea in May. You Nguyen, the senior vice-president of Levi's product in Europe, said it was a result of "zeitgeist research".
"We found more and more consumers were making product choices based on the environmental and social impact," he said. "They were getting interested in apparel made using sustainable production methods, but they still wanted style and quality - it was no longer either/or."
The jeans are based on Levi's popular 570 range for women and 506 range for men, and Mr Peeters and Mr Nguyen insisted the jeans were as stylish as any others the company made. They said those who had seen them had asked "how do you know it's a Levi's eco?". Peeters said: "The whole point is that you don't. It looks like our other jeans."
Levi's is producing 30,000 pairs of jeans for the launch across Europe, and will stock them in just 2% of its stores, making them a niche product initially. Next winter it hoped to expand the eco range to incorporate more organic versions of the Red Tab styles, and later some of the materials and practices could be used in the company's standard range.
"The whole organic and sustainable platform is one that is growing," Nguyen said. "In future, if this is successful we may look at ways of expanding it, but it will never be 100% of the Levi's product. This is because the availability of organic cotton is limited," he said. "We are hoping that as a leading player we may be able to persuade producers to grow more."
Mr Peeters said: "There are some elements, for example the finish, which have benefits built into them. This is something we are exploring."
But there is a catch. While the jeans are modelled on mid-range styles, they have a premium-range price tag - across Europe they will retail at €120 (£80).
Mr Nguyen said he didn't think customers would be put off. "We're finding through research that the consumer is willing to pay more - if you look at food and cars, people are prepared to pay more for sustainable versions."
The fully organic jeans will only be available in Europe, with consumers in America and Asia offered an alternative made from organic cotton, but using Levi's standard components and production processes. Mr Nguyen said this was because European consumers were more interested in products that had been made in a sustainable way.
There is a noticeable growth of mainstream interest in clothes that have minimum impact on the environment, and in those who make the materials that go into them.
On the high street, Marks & Spencer has been doing good business with its Fairtrade jeans - although cotton bearing the Fairtrade mark is not necessarily organic, producers are encouraged to use non-harmful chemicals and discouraged from using the worst pesticides on their crops.
While some environmentalists welcome the development of more green goods, others argue that taking some of the guilt out of shopping allows people to continue consuming at an unsustainable level with a clear conscience.
"Switching to organic cotton and reducing carbon emissions at manufacturing will hopefully become the norm for the fashion industry," said Jessa Latona, the spokeswoman for the Centre for Alternative Technology which promotes sustainable living.
"However, rather than running to the shops tomorrow and buying a new pair of jeans, consumers could create their own eco wardrobe by recycling and reusing old clothes - getting creative with last season's jeans rather than throwing them out.
"This would be tackling the waste problem at source, by simply reducing what you buy in the first place.
"Consumers have the power to change things - shops and manufacturers are just meeting the demand from shoppers."
By coincidence, tomorrow is the annual Buy Nothing Day in the UK, when consumers are encouraged to spend some quality time with their family rather than hitting the high street.
The campaign's website said the day "exposes the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism".
CATEGORIES
Pants & Cords
Shorts
Knits & Tees
Shirts
Sweaters & Sweatshirts
Jackets
Accessories
JEANS BY STYLE
Ex-Girlfriend
Skinny
Taper
Straight
Boot Cut
Relaxed
Loose
Premium
Big & Tall
See All Jeans
JEANS BY FIT
501® Original
501® Shrink-to-Fit
505® Straight
510™ Super Skinny
511™ Skinny
514™ Slim Straight
517® Slim Boot Cut
520™ Taper
527™ Boot Cut
550™ Relaxed Fit
559™ Relaxed Straight
560™ Comfort Fit
569® Loose Straight
59X Low Series
The Levi’s® brand has introduced a uniquely local campaign to celebrate South Africa and being South African at a time when we’re all feeling exceptionally proud of our awesome country and people. The campaign focus is a limited edition range of clothing under the “Levi’s® Loves Local” banner. The product range is anchored in brightly coloured – yet still iconic - Levi’s® 501® jeans and a series of bold graphics echoing through hoodies, sweaters, belts, caps, footwear and bodywear. The graphics were proudly designed by young local artists who were invited to participate in the project. Vibrant, colorful and very reflective of South Africa and the South Africa culture, the range is a reflection of the brand’s love for the country and its people. “The Levi’s® brand is a global brand that’s also proudly South African – we’ve been a part of this country for over 15 years. We’ve been proud supporters of local music and musicians with our long-standing sponsorship of major local music festivals. We also feature local music at least 50% of the time in our stores and showcase local music artists on our in-store imagery whenever possible. It doesn’t end there – we’re also committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa (our biggest social issue), facilitating HIV testing through mobile testing centres, and distributing free branded condoms. And that’s because Levi's® really does love local,” said Debbie Gebhardt, Marketing Director for Levi Strauss South Africa. The creative concept for the campaign showcases both the colorful and versatile product range and South Africa’s rainbow nation of races and cultures in unity. This limited edition range is available now from Levi's® Stores and selected Markham™ Stores.
They're not the first "green jeans" to go on the market, but Levi's says its new eco jeans are the first fully sustainable denims from a major brand.
The trousers, which go on sale tomorrow in 20 Levi's stores across the UK, are made with completely organic materials on a production line that uses sustainable production processes.
"It's not only organic fabric but the other components are also organic; the finish we use is totally organic too," said Geert Peeters, the vice-president of product management. "The whole process of how the jeans are made is also organic."
The jeans are made with 100% organic cotton denim, have a coconut shell button on the waistband and non-galvanised metal fly buttons. The indigo finish has been produced from potato starch, mimosa flower and Marseille soap. They are produced in a dedicated area of the Levi's factory in Hungary, on machinery that has been specially cleaned to comply with the certification process.
The process of designing the jeans and putting the processes in place to make them took six months from when Levi's came up with the idea in May. You Nguyen, the senior vice-president of Levi's product in Europe, said it was a result of "zeitgeist research".
"We found more and more consumers were making product choices based on the environmental and social impact," he said. "They were getting interested in apparel made using sustainable production methods, but they still wanted style and quality - it was no longer either/or."
The jeans are based on Levi's popular 570 range for women and 506 range for men, and Mr Peeters and Mr Nguyen insisted the jeans were as stylish as any others the company made. They said those who had seen them had asked "how do you know it's a Levi's eco?". Peeters said: "The whole point is that you don't. It looks like our other jeans."
Levi's is producing 30,000 pairs of jeans for the launch across Europe, and will stock them in just 2% of its stores, making them a niche product initially. Next winter it hoped to expand the eco range to incorporate more organic versions of the Red Tab styles, and later some of the materials and practices could be used in the company's standard range.
"The whole organic and sustainable platform is one that is growing," Nguyen said. "In future, if this is successful we may look at ways of expanding it, but it will never be 100% of the Levi's product. This is because the availability of organic cotton is limited," he said. "We are hoping that as a leading player we may be able to persuade producers to grow more."
Mr Peeters said: "There are some elements, for example the finish, which have benefits built into them. This is something we are exploring."
But there is a catch. While the jeans are modelled on mid-range styles, they have a premium-range price tag - across Europe they will retail at €120 (£80).
Mr Nguyen said he didn't think customers would be put off. "We're finding through research that the consumer is willing to pay more - if you look at food and cars, people are prepared to pay more for sustainable versions."
The fully organic jeans will only be available in Europe, with consumers in America and Asia offered an alternative made from organic cotton, but using Levi's standard components and production processes. Mr Nguyen said this was because European consumers were more interested in products that had been made in a sustainable way.
There is a noticeable growth of mainstream interest in clothes that have minimum impact on the environment, and in those who make the materials that go into them.
On the high street, Marks & Spencer has been doing good business with its Fairtrade jeans - although cotton bearing the Fairtrade mark is not necessarily organic, producers are encouraged to use non-harmful chemicals and discouraged from using the worst pesticides on their crops.
While some environmentalists welcome the development of more green goods, others argue that taking some of the guilt out of shopping allows people to continue consuming at an unsustainable level with a clear conscience.
"Switching to organic cotton and reducing carbon emissions at manufacturing will hopefully become the norm for the fashion industry," said Jessa Latona, the spokeswoman for the Centre for Alternative Technology which promotes sustainable living.
"However, rather than running to the shops tomorrow and buying a new pair of jeans, consumers could create their own eco wardrobe by recycling and reusing old clothes - getting creative with last season's jeans rather than throwing them out.
"This would be tackling the waste problem at source, by simply reducing what you buy in the first place.
"Consumers have the power to change things - shops and manufacturers are just meeting the demand from shoppers."
By coincidence, tomorrow is the annual Buy Nothing Day in the UK, when consumers are encouraged to spend some quality time with their family rather than hitting the high street.
The campaign's website said the day "exposes the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism".
CATEGORIES
Pants & Cords
Shorts
Knits & Tees
Shirts
Sweaters & Sweatshirts
Jackets
Accessories
JEANS BY STYLE
Ex-Girlfriend
Skinny
Taper
Straight
Boot Cut
Relaxed
Loose
Premium
Big & Tall
See All Jeans
JEANS BY FIT
501® Original
501® Shrink-to-Fit
505® Straight
510™ Super Skinny
511™ Skinny
514™ Slim Straight
517® Slim Boot Cut
520™ Taper
527™ Boot Cut
550™ Relaxed Fit
559™ Relaxed Straight
560™ Comfort Fit
569® Loose Straight
59X Low Series