LEVI’S BRAND
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Levi’s Brand
The Origin
Levi Strauss was born in February 1829 in Buttenheim, with his mother being Rebecca Hass Straus, who was the second wife to Hirsch Strauss and the father to Levi Strauss. Levi had several siblings who included three older sisters and brothers; unfortunately, their father, Hirsch Strauss, succumbed to deadly Tuberculosis around 1844. In 1946, Levi, together with his sisters, moved to the United States and settled in New York. This created an excellent opportunity for Levi and his sisters to meet their two elder brothers. The latter operated a business known as J. Strauss Brother & Company, a wholesale dry goods business located in New York City, United States of America.[1]After joining the business, Levi started learning various business operations, helping him establish Levi’s brand in future years. This paper digs deep into Levi’s brand from its origins to its enduring appeal and Levi’s DNA besides what has kept the brand vital in the clothing industry.
In 1853, Levi moved to settle in San Francisco with great passion and desire to start his fortune, and this was after the California Gold Rush made its way to the East, though it wasn’t easy for Levi as he pursued his fortune. He immediately started a similar business to the one operated by his brothers in New York, which involved wholesale of dry goods that he established under his name, to offer service as the west coast representative of their New York business. He later renamed the business Levi Strauss & Co.[2]. In the following two decades, Levi focused on building his business to significant success levels, which made him gain respect in the field of business. In addition to this, he was one of the great philanthropists in the area. One of Levi’s customers was a tailor located in Nevada by the name of Jacob Davis.
Jacob Davis was challenged by one of his customers and who was a wife to the local laborer when she requested a pair of pants that would not fall apart for his husband; this pushed Jacob to brainstorm on how he can make his trousers strong where he came up with the idea to put metal rivets on the points of strain like on the base of the button fly in addition to pocket corners. The demand for these riveted pants rose considerably, making Jacob think of a business patent and a great partner who could lead the venture to success. Levi Strauss came to his mind since he had also bought the cloth used in making the riveted pants from his premises.
Jacob Davis sent Levi a letter in 1872 disclosing the unique way and formula he usually used to make his customers’ pants. He outlined how he made them long-lasting by using rivets at the points of strain.[3]. Davis was looking for a serious business partner with whom they could get the ideas off the ground and patent acquisition about the concept. Levi was pleased and very passionate; hence they partnered and secured the patent around May 1873 to Jacob Davis and Levis Strauss & Company. The blue jeans idea was transformed into excellent products. The first jeans were made from denim which is an article of traditional clothing for men’s workwear.
Denim is heavy twill-woven cotton with natural fiber that absorbs moisture at a high rate and drying quickly, and has a super cooling effect when warm. This material had gained much popularity in France; hence, Strauss opted for it to design and produce jeans. These denim materials were obtained from American textile manufacturers since the importation of the same materials seemed expensive.[4]. Since it’s not a luxury material, denim does not require the harvest of numerous silkworms’ secretions nor even the careful sheared wool from Kashmir goats.
During his life, Levi engaged himself in several businesses. He managed to become one of the Francisco board of Trade charter members in 1877 and became Treasurer to the board. Moreover, he was the managing director of Nevada Bank. [5], the Liverpool, London, and Globe Insurance Company Together With San Francisco Gas and Electric Company. Additionally, around 1875, Levi partnered with some of his associates in purchasing the Mission and Pacific Woolen Mills.
The Enduring Appeal
Jeans, instead of suggesting some populist casualness, have been worn by almost everyone, anytime and anywhere, ranging from toddlers to electricians in addition to computer scientists and software engineers, moreover, they have been worn in barbecues to cocktail parties to offices, jeans are anything but democratic especially to those who can read the black pocket language, they have become the fashion’s equivalent of a secret handshake. Mostly, brand names are tribalistic in nature, bringing about some markings of the sort to identify the wearer’s aspirational or real identity. However, when it comes to jeans, these identities and signals have been coded and appear imperative to those who wear jeans. They do not signify wealth; hence they are cheap to purchase, making it possible to afford several.
They have continuously bridged the gap between men’s and women’s clothing since the 1960s. Various designs and innovations have been undertaken to produce women’s jeans that can account for a woman’s shape. [6], additionally, children and adolescents have majorly embraced blue jeans in their various designs, which has helped increase its appeal across the globe among all genders in multiple stages.
Continuous innovation has also helped the company in creating appealing products; initially, the blue jeans fabrication was very coarse and susceptible to shrinking, which made the garments unappealing just as casual wear dresses, but through innovative new processes and techniques were created, which brought about flavor in the denim production leading to various varieties such as pre-washed jeans in addition to permanent jeans which are not susceptible to wriggles without any need of ironing no matter how they are worn. [7], this reinforced blue jeans appealing nature of present ability hence attracting a massive number of customers.
Various people worldwide have different reasons for wearing jeans ranging from miners to farmers, senators, the poor, and the elite ones. Some claim that jeans are more comfortable, easy to use, and maintain in addition to their durability when others claim that they are calm and incredibly sexy; jeans appear to be everywhere, ranging from India to the Philippines from Africa to South America. [8], their success in many of the rimes has been attributed to their cultural meaning combined with their physical construction.
The Levi’s DNA and What Has Kept the Brand Vital
The Levi’s jeans production started in 1873 after Levi and Jacob combined their efforts; from the beginning, the garments were popular among the workers, including lumberjacks, ranchers, and cowboys in addition to miners since the pants were viewed to be hardwearing, affordable in addition to being made from rigid materials and comfortable, they were first designed as work wears for farm laborers and miners in the Western American States.
From the beginning, the company was committed to offering the best in service to its customers ranging from cowboys to supermodels, housewives, and even presidents. In the early stages, the founders realized denim used in production was necessary since the fabric was more than comfortable additionally, its indigo dye produced the unique spectacular character. [9]. The sales of jeans kept growing exponentially since denim kept changing with age; hence it gave various people greater zeal since it reflected their lives, leading to more sales.
The jeans helped each worker tell the story of his work amazingly; in 1960, jeans went beyond democracy since they also created a common ground among distinct classes. Creating hardwearing and affordable women’s jeans that conformed to their body shapes and sizes helped capture the women’s attention and fulfill their needs. Its versatility involves working to become all things to all people, which has been the most incredible secret towards jeans survival as staple clothing in people’s lives.
Cultural Capital Today and its Current Place
LS & Co., under its current CEO, Chip Bergh, has continuously worked to keep the company in significant levels of achievement and success, especially during these challenging economic times brought about by the Corona pandemic. Moreover, the company has invested in small-scale sustainability projects designed to help shoppers feel comfortable and appreciated in their purchases.
The brand managed to generate more than $5.8 billion in 2019, known more for its blue jeans than their investments in water-saving processes because much water is needed in jeans production besides early days. It has given enormous support in creating awareness on HIV/AIDS together with various researches associated with the pandemic.
The company, unlike other companies, has placed its numbers publicly; the brand values instituted by the cofounders have been tested across various decades, facing multiple up and downs leading to benchmarks on how to do things better from other companies. [10]. The company dedications and commitment and obsession blended with social responsibility besides philanthropy have ensured that its growth and progress have gone beyond the hardships. LS & Co. has undergone different ownership structures and transactions that involve 2 IPOs and buyouts.[11]The current board comprises people outside the family, even though the cofounding families have managed to control the company’s majority shares.
In conclusion, Levi’s Brand has undergone considerable changes since its inception to date. The milestones achieved have resulted from the commitment and hard work into building the brand to a globally recognized name. The management has adopted different strategies that have favored the brand to achieve its current status.
Bibliography
Downey, Lynn. Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World. University of Massachusetts Press, 2016.
Baumgarten, Max D. “Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World by Lynn Downey.” American Jewish History 102, no. 3 (2018): 442-444.
Bartlett, George. “Rebellion. It’s In Our Jeans.” Journal of Promotional Communications 4, no. 1 (2016).
Brooks, Andrew. “Systems of provision: Fast fashion and jeans.” Geoforum 63 (2015): 36-39.
Su, Jin, and Xiao Tong. “Brand personality, consumer satisfaction, and loyalty: A perspective from denim jeans brands.” Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal 44, no. 4 (2016): 427-446.
[1] Downey, Lynn. Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World. University of Massachusetts Press, 2016.
[2] Downey, Lynn. Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World. University of Massachusetts Press, 2016.
[3] Baumgarten, Max D. “Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World by Lynn Downey.” American Jewish History 102, no. 3 (2018): 442-444.
[4] Downey, Lynn. Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World. University of Massachusetts Press, 2016.
[5] Bartlett, George. “Rebellion. It’s In Our Jeans.” Journal of Promotional Communications 4, no. 1 (2016).
[6] Su, Jin, and Xiao Tong. “Brand personality, consumer satisfaction, and loyalty: A perspective from denim jeans brands.” Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal 44, no. 4 (2016): 427-446.
[7] Baumgarten, Max D. “Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World by Lynn Downey.” American Jewish History 102, no. 3 (2018): 442-444.
[8] Brooks, Andrew. “Systems of provision: Fast fashion and jeans.” Geoforum 63 (2015): 36-39.
[9] Downey, Lynn. Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World. University of Massachusetts Press, 2016.
[10] Baumgarten, Max D. “Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World by Lynn Downey.” American Jewish History 102, no. 3 (2018): 442-444.
[11] Baumgarten, Max D. “Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World by Lynn Downey.” American Jewish History 102, no. 3 (2018): 442-444.