Levi's

Levi's logo.

Levi's logo.

Levi's is a brand of riveted denim jeans manufactured by Levi Strauss & Co.

History

Contrary to an advertising campaign suggesting that Levi Strauss sold his first jeans to gold miners in the California Gold Rush, where he arrived in 1853, manufacture of denim overalls only began in the 1870s.

Modern jeans began to appear in the 1920s.

By the 1990s, the brand was facing competition from other brands and cheaper products from overseas. Production facilities in Canada and the United States closed and supply of finished products came from places like China, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Lesotho, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines.

Today Levi's retail operations are broken up into regional bases:

• North America
  • Canada
  • United States

• Asia Pacific
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan

• Europe
• Latin America

Products

Levi's product lines include:

• Red Tab
• Silver Tab (this line started in 1990 and is marketed to a more fashion-forward demographic; the last five years this line got a make-over to resemble an urbanwear look rather than the traditional Levi's look)
• Dockers
• Levi Strauss
• Type 1 - discontinued but still available in Asia
• Engineered - discontinued but still available in Asia
• Circle R
• Red Loop
• Levi's Vintage Clothing（L.V.C)
• Levi Strauss Signature
• Next Cube Blue Print (N3BP)
• Capital E
• Two Horse brand - discontinued

Denim giant Levi Strauss has designed a pair of jeans, called RedWire DLX Jeans, able to control a wearer's Apple iPod music player. The RedWire DLX Jeans will have an iPod remote control and docking station fitted in its pockets, and comes complete with attached headphones. To be launched in August 2006, the jeans will cost approximately $250. Levi Strauss is not the first to produce iPod-compatible clothing, but it is believed to be the first to do so for trousers or jeans. No details of how exactly the owner will be able to wash them have been released.

In 2000, the "Launderette" advert for Levi's 501s was named the 6th best television commercial of all time, in a poll conducted by The Sunday Times and Channel 4, a UK Based Television channel & newspaper.

Styles

• 501 Button Fly
• 503 Skinny (women)
• 504 Slouch Straight (women)
• 505 Straight Leg
• 506 Standard
• 507 Boot Cut (Men)
• 508 Loose (Men)
• 509 Loose (Men)
• 511 Skinny Jean (men)
• 512 Boot Cut (Men)
• 514 Slim (men)
• 514 Slouch Boot Cut (women)
• 515 Boot Cut (women)
• 516 Slim Fit (discontinued)
• 517 Boot Cut (men)
• 518 Superlow Boot Cut (women)
• 519 Flared (women)(discontinued)
• 519 Flared (women)(discontinued)
• 522 Stretch (men)
• 524 Classic Straight Cut (men)
• 525 Boot Cut (women)
• 527 Low Boot (men)
• 529 Slim Boot Cut (Women)
• 529 Low Straight (men)(discontinued)
• 539 Comfort Straight (men)
• 542 Low Straight/Low Flared (women)
• 544 Boot Cut (women)
• 550 Relax Fit
• 551 Flare (women)
• 555 Relax Fit Straight (discontinued)
• 556 "Billie May" Regular Fit (women)
• 557 "Eve" Square-Cut (women)
• 558 "Patty Anne" Slim Fit (women)
• 559 "Marissa" Square-Cut Boot (women)
• 560 Comfort Fit (men)
• 565 Wide Leg, Loose Fit (women)
• 567 Loose Boot Cut (men)
• 569 Loose Straight (men)
• 570 Straight Fit (women)
• 571 Slim Fit (women)
• 572 Boot Cut (women)
• 573 Loose Fit (women)
• 576 Loose Fit (women)
• 579 "Bobby Anne" Skinny
• 581 Boot Cut (men)
• 584 Boot Cut stretch (men)
• 646 Capital E Vintage Flared (women)
• 901 Tapered (men)
• 907 Twisted Boot cut (men)
• 927 Boot Cut (men)
• Capital E Skimmer Skinny (women)
• Premium City Straight (women)
• Type 1 Iconic Fit
• Type 1 Real Loose
• Type 1 Tough Boot

Trivia

In early 2006, Levi Strauss & Co. was the high bidder in an eBay auction for an authentic pair of original Levi's 501 blue jeans, paying around $100,000 for the item (Economist, 2006).

See also

• Jeans
• Lucky Jeans
• Mudd Jeans
• Parasuco
• Roots Canada Ltd.

External links

• Levi's
• Levi's Europe
• BBC News Article 2006 RedWire DLX Jeans