Levi's Vintage Clothing

[Stratos]

why not just a real type 3 on ebay? it'd be a lot cheaper

I guess you have a point; I have a small e Type III I paid 10€ for at a local thrift store and I cannot imagine the LVC one really adding anything, apart from being raw and bearing the big E...

[Happy Hooligan]

I guess you have a point; I have a small e Type III I paid 10€ for at a local thrift store and I cannot imagine the LVC one really adding anything, apart from being raw and bearing the big E...

plus you said you were going to soak it anyway...

You can find big E's for under 40 on ebay unless you wear a big size....

[Stratos]

plus you said you were going to soak it anyway...

You can find big E's for under 40 on ebay unless you wear a big size....

I did not say anything :-)

[ThomasK]

RAW Models on sale at cultizm.com.

[bluegoldblues]

So when is LVC going to get a proper website/online store?

Picked up a great little free book about the 501 with pics from the archives the other day.

[robbie]

^^

Probably about the same time RRL does. Wouldn't hold my breath. I suppose they want it to be the sort of thing that is accessible but not so accessible that a person can google 'Levis' and have the whole line at their disposal.

[Stratos]

I think so too, I guess they want to keep the aura of magic, maybe, or maybe they are just lazy, or have not registered their domain, or have even a different reason I don't know about, I don't fucking care really ^^

[Maynard Friedman]

They're still awaiting their poetic licence...

[dr.house]

My 1873's.

Great Jean Mr.Sansome, congratz!

[setterman]

So when is LVC going to get a proper website/online store?

They've had years and years to put one in place and haven't, so I assume they never will. Too bad.

[Paul T]

I did hear that someone was working on it. Agreed, they should just get a move on! Even something 'poetic', style-book, abstract would work - for one thing, because each new range seems to get getting wider, you need a one-stop shop where you can see it all.

[setterman]

you need a one-stop shop where you can see it all.

And buy any of it.

Poetry aside, they're in business to sell a product, and they're going about it in the least effective way.

[robbie]

While I agree w/ this sentiment on a personal level. There is a certain quality about a product from an era prior to the internet, doing business in much the same way business was done during that era.

I think a catalog/look book would be a nice touch. Have a catalog request form on the XX website maybe?

It would make information available, it would inform consumers, and allow them some period correctness.

Though, without the internet would niche brands such as LVC have the same sort of cult following?

[killer b]

they had lvc on the main levis website until last year didn't they?

[robbie]

they had lvc on the main levis website until last year didn't they?

I think they had pieces, but not the full line.

Levis.co.uk had quite a bit of LVC stuff, usually a good deal more than the US.

[setterman]

While I agree w/ this sentiment on a personal level. There is a certain quality about a product from an era prior to the internet, doing business in much the same way business was done during that era.

I think a catalog/look book would be a nice touch. Have a catalog request form on the XX website maybe?

I was going to make a joke in my last post about how maybe they should have black and white, hand drawn images, turn of the century type mail order catalog. You have to write them (no phone calls please!) to request it. There's a page to tear out where you can list all the items you wish to purchase, then you mail it and a check or money order to them to place your order. Expected delivery? Six to eight weeks. ;-)

I know the goal in part is to keep the brand niche and exclusive. That's fine and all, but when customers aren't aware of a product or can't get their hands on it, what's the point in even making it? In the 2011 catalog Roy6 posted, there's pictured a pair of balloon pants that he's interested in. He can't find any info about them, and if he hadn't gotten his hands on that catalog no one here would have even been aware of them. That's a little TOO exclusive. And LVC is too expensive a brand to be carried in more than a handful of shops, and they can't afford to carry the whole line. To be successful and profitable (which I've read multiple times here that LVC is not) you have to have a corporate online presence.

[roy6]

So when is LVC going to get a proper website/online store?

Picked up a great little free book about the 501 with pics from the archives the other day.

Like most people have said, probably never. It's been a part of their philosophy, and of Maurizio Donadi's when he was at RRL as well, to create an air of exclusivity about the product and making their stores "destinations"by making the whole range hard to access. RRL actually had/has a contract with retailers not to put their products on the internet in a comprehensive way. I think LVC stops short of that, but not by much.

It's debatable how much of a success that policy has been for either brand financially, but I suppose that it has contributed to both's "cult" status.

edit- agreed, setterman. Rnrswitch once proposed that LVC make a simple hand-drawn catalog similar to their 1890-1910s era catalogs in that same style, which I think would be amazingly good advertising for them.

[crownzip]

Maurizio did a good job making RRL a destination stop at least for Japanese and European tourists in NYC. More than a few times I've seen them hit the RRL on Bleecker St. in good size groups. I've heard they also make the Melrose and Malibu stores a destination stop in LA.

LVC is far from exclusive in NYC now being available in a couple of Levi's stores, Brooklyn Denim and J Crew. BTW, I had the chance to see the latest batch of LVC '44's and '55's at the Meat Packing store and wasn't impressed with the current batch of Cone denim. The weight of the denim is lighter and thinner than older runs and not nearly as dark.

[setterman]

Like most people have said, probably never. It's been a part of their philosophy, and of Maurizio Donadi's when he was at RRL as well, to create an air of exclusivity about the product and making their stores "destinations"by making the whole range hard to access. RRL actually had/has a contract with retailers not to put their products on the internet in a comprehensive way. I think LVC stops short of that, but not by much.

It's debatable how much of a success that policy has been for either brand financially, but I suppose that it has contributed to both's "cult" status.

edit- agreed, setterman. Rnrswitch once proposed that LVC make a simple hand-drawn catalog similar to their 1890-1910s era catalogs in that same style, which I think would be amazingly good advertising for them.

Would make a nice little piece of marketing, and shows how out of touch they are with their market that it hasn't been done yet. As a consumer their current catalogs of pretty boys dressing up to play forester, miner, factory worker aren't making me want to purchase their products.

I was kidding though that an old tyme catalog like that, and a slow mail order process should be the only way to purchase LVC. Watch, some asshole at LVC is probably reading that now and thinking "What a great idea" and with the spring 2012 line you'll only be able to mail order your LVC and have to wait a month and a half to get it.

RRL? Their low key exclusive approach has left me aware but uninterested in the brand. If it weren't for sufu, I wouldn't even know it existed.

[colgems1966]

the problem i have with this whole marketing "angle" is that they're not selling dinner jackets they're selling jeans. our grandfathers & fathers could walk into any number of middle-class mass market stores and get the original. why all the snobbery and exclusivity now? i have a big problem with companies that do this. take dickies; they made khakis in the USA for decades, then for their own selfish reasons outsourced production. then comes the 1922 line; made like the originals in the San Antonio factory for only $175! and that's a favor to me? my Dad who passed away in 1996 wore selvage Levis for most of his life. he would be astonished at the prices they now ask. here's my idea----market the product. let people know it's out there. try to build economies of scale and sell it for a reasonable price that gives a reasonable profit. that recipe worked for 110 years so why not now? what does it say when your supposed to chase the product down, guess your correct size and pay through the nose to get a pair of blue jeans? don't get me wrong, i love the product but i loathe the business behind it.

[hollowsleather]

the problem i have with this whole marketing "angle" is that they're not selling dinner jackets they're selling jeans. our grandfathers & fathers could walk into any number of middle-class mass market stores and get the original. why all the snobbery and exclusivity now?

You can walk into any number of middle-class mass market stores and get a pair of 501s.

LVC is clearly a luxury line, your dad and gramps would have thought it was totally insane to spend 5x the cash for darker blue (which is the surface difference between a 501 STF and an LVC 47).

[tropicalbird]

rant

Your innovative "ideas" is what Levi's has become. A diluted brand in a saturated market, a shadow of it's former self. Exclusivity is a logical step, especially for a brand with such a strong heritage.

Haters are gonna hate

[tropicalbird]

. LVC is clearly a luxury line, your dad and gramps would have thought it was totally insane to spend 5x the cash for darker blue (which is the surface difference between a 501 STF and an LVC 47).

I agree totally. It's time to make the iconic arctuates exclusive to LVC

[colgems1966]

You can walk into any number of middle-class mass market stores and get a pair of 501s.

LVC is clearly a luxury line, your dad and gramps would have thought it was totally insane to spend 5x the cash for darker blue (which is the surface difference between a 501 STF and an LVC 47).

yes you can. but they're 501's in name only. the companies created the problem to begin with by decontenting their products and outsourcing the labor overseas. as if by keeping the same lot # people won't notice the product behind it. i'm old enough to have bought american made selvage 501's off the shelf at sears & penney's. maybe i'm just old-fashioned but i have a hard time swallowing blue jeans as a luxury garment. a camel hair topcoat yes, but 501's? a little pretentious. these companies made their choices and then when they bring back a semblance of the real thing it's suddenly exclusive and a luxury item? what kind of a sucker does that make me. what american icon is next? are campbell's soup or coca cola going to be luxury items comparable to steak & lobster? is my american made Jeep going to be a luxury item? i have no problem at all paying for american labor and quality materials but i'll let someone else buy the hype and marketing puffery.

[robbie]

nvm 7654321

[paulduke04]

Hi I'm new to this current LVC discussion topic (but not entirely to LVC jeans) but let me chime in, as I find the points being made quite interesting.

If I'm not mistaken, the origin of this debate and much of the frustration stems from Levi's's? unwillingness to maintain/open a domestic website devoted to LVC. And our speculation is that Levi's would much rather cultivate an aura of exclusivity or cult status than provide information to the consumers. I wholly agree with that speculation, since operating cost of running a website is minimal to insignificant for a company as large as Levi's, especially with an existing US Levi's site. There is no other rational business reason not to.

Now, is that good for business? I agree that LVC has become a luxury item solely based on the price alone ($200+ for a pair of jeans is by definition luxury), but how does denying consumers access to information (I'm not even talking online retail) help your bottom line? It doesn't and it hasn't, since someone else has mentioned they haven't been profitable. So this ineptitude is to prevent loss of exclusivity? I personally believe US market demand for expensive Levi's denim, even at the peak of raw/heritage/... craze, is not great enough that LVC should fear over-exposure or market saturation. As opposed to Japan or Europe, LVC is sought after by a small number of people here in the states. However, they are wiling to pay extra for better quality. I simply think it is asinine to deprive these people of information - simple information that would make the buying process less cumbersome. And perhaps, if the right information is presented and promoted, that small number of consumers will grow and make LVC profitable.

BTW I am grateful for the information provided by SUFU and the people on this thread. Otherwise, I'd have to rely on Levi's or Barney's sales rep (only two sources of LVC here in NYC) for sizing and etc... and that's just stupid.

[colgems1966]

well if you want to go by profits you could argue that Levis has been horribly mismanaged. they have just recently begun to turn a profit again. the Levis of today bears little resemblance to what it once was. if the reason for LVC is authenticity; how authentic is the whole premise of a pair of jeans so expensive you're afraid to work in them or wash them. somehow i don't think all those cowboys and miners would be LVC customers today. there are companies that produce a superior product and have stuck to their core values for decades. Levis opted to try to be all things to all people, usually not a recipe for success. they're also big about harping on corporate responsibilty, tell that to all the workers who lost jobs and benefits in all the US factories that got shuttered.

[jstavrin]

^Precisely. Colgems: I agree with the sentiment, but this is the world we live in.

EDIT: The "Precisely" was meant for robbie's pos.

[xEMBx]

I dont think anyone here is afraid to work, wear hard or wash their jeans.

[hollowsleather]

Their Gibsonesque anti-marketing is perfect, in my opinion. They need that hype and cult appeal, and making it a pain in the ass to get the stuff makes it that much more coveted.

I don't think that the LVC line is meant to make money at all in terms of selling pairs of jeans. I wouldn't be surprised if they lose money on LVC overall. It continues to exist because it is their nostalgia farm.

The imagery surrounding the romantic history of Levis and the westward expansion is what REALLY sells jeans. It's a vital aspect of Levis, and LVC provides legitimacy for that.

I understand the desire to see quality, US made products at working man's prices, but you can't undo globalization. Get some STFs or Carhartt b07s and call it a day, it's the best you can hope for until the market decides that quality is important again.