Is Levi's Having a Comeback?

[aubrgene]

Just wondering. Last year because of the lawsuits, everyone was hating Levis'. It seems like with their massive ad campaigns and a robust design team, they are getting more popular again. I see them more in the streets. Is Levis' hip again? Your thoughts?

[Roflcopterpwnsyou]

No. 10 Chars.

[Dex_star]

Levis are timeless

and what goes on in the streets and what is said around sufu is two totally diff things

[individualsole]

I'd say so, especially with them focusing on the basics that made their brand what it is today. I'm fairly impressed with several of the LVC items.

[sidneylo]

I heard Levi's are becoming limited edition.

[AcrobaticTenement]

A comeback from what? Levi's never went under. They've always been the definitive jean brand. You read too much sufu.

[Superstar]

^ or maybe he reads too little sufu...

its widely known in here that levis is a brand that never falls apart and still delivers nice jeans..

[aubrgene]

It's good to know that it's alive and well. When the company outsourced ( to Mexico ), I believe, and was no longer made in USA, it changed the whole dynamics. At least for me it did. I did purchase an LVC 47 501 and made sure it was still American made.

[Eason]

Team Fuck Levi's!

Seriously though I like some Levi's (a lot of them actually, my first pair of "raw" denim was the 514 rigid scraped followed shortly by capital E matchstick) but I hate the back pocket stitching so much that it now stops me from buying it.

[BlueOctoberFan]

I think that there is something inherently appealing about Levi's. I've got jeans from ALD, Samurai, tried various Nudies, but there's still something that makes me feel like I should get a pair of Levi's LVC, or even STF.

Additionally, I've done some walking around department stores, and even some of their pre-washes are starting to look much much better than they did before. Also, some of the Red line available at Macy's and such looks quite nice.

[Whodinihimself]

Levis bugs me sometimes, but they always have (and always will have) a top spot in the denim world....and honestly, who doesnt love the Levi's arcuate?

I think Levis just needs to focus more of their efforts on the LVC and Collectibles divisions. They've had alot of hits and misses with their repro's, mainly because of trying to save a buck or two on production costs. Their prototypes usually look killer, then when the actual product is released, its usually a bit of a disappointment.(There are quite a few exceptions tho) I'd just like to see their repro's being as authentic as possible, right down to the stitching, the composition of the metals, sourcing of materials, etc etc...LVC should be made in the USA 100%

[hawkeye]

I think so, they are finally putting out some cuts that are a bit more current, though they seem to be pushing flarez a bit these days. I was in the Levis store on Lexington the other night and there were lots of people inside. I think all the recession talk has made people think twice about spending a lot of cash on expensive denims.

[Charlie Delta]

I just bought a pair of cheap STF's and didn't even take the tags off to soak.

Just felt that I needed them for the sake of it...

[sybaritical]

I am of the opinion that everyone should own a pair of Levi's.

[Charlie Delta]

^ Atleast anyone who wants to claim to have any sort of knowledge of or passion for blue jeans and denim in general...

[twistedtrees]

I had to do a business analysis for a class last semester & I picked Levis. I researched them through their own press/financial statements as well as textile business journals over the past 18 months. Apparetly, Levis as a brand is doing well, with profits up especially in Asia and parts of Europe. But Dockers and the Levi Strauss Signature brands are pulling them down.

And as far as fashion, say what you want about them adding better cuts and premium denim, but when they are the world's #1 brand in jeans, they aren't going to cater to niche markets. Their biggest market is women 35-65. They're pushing "Mom" jeans. If they really want to bring fashion back to the brand, they are going to have to sacrifice A LOT of potential income. However, they are a mostly privately held company, so they wouldn't have to answer to shareholders...

[Halifamous]

and honestly, who doesnt love the Levi's arcuate?

but I hate the back pocket stitching so much that it now stops me from buying it.

woop woop woop

[BlueOctoberFan]

I think Levis just needs to focus more of their efforts on the LVC and Collectibles divisions. They've had alot of hits and misses with their repro's, mainly because of trying to save a buck or two on production costs. Their prototypes usually look killer, then when the actual product is released, its usually a bit of a disappointment.(There are quite a few exceptions tho) I'd just like to see their repro's being as authentic as possible, right down to the stitching, the composition of the metals, sourcing of materials, etc etc...LVC should be made in the USA 100%

I have to agree that they should make them exactly like the originals. I took my parents into one of the Levi's stores over the holidays and showed them the LVCs that they had there. Both were very dissappointed and said that they were no where near as heavy as the originals.

[slomayutebenos]

just tell me i'm dumb

if levi's closed its last plant in NA in 2004

where's those lvcs being made?

[epitaph220]

^smalls questions thread!

[blake]

just tell me i'm dumb

if levi's closed its last plant in NA in 2004

where's those lvcs being made?

los angeles.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

Just wondering. Last year because of the lawsuits, everyone was hating Levis'. It seems like with their massive ad campaigns and a robust design team, they are getting more popular again. I see them more in the streets. Is Levis' hip again? Your thoughts?

All Levi's products outside of the LVC line are wack, and it seems to me that they will always be. Levi's seems to be a terrible company and it seems they rely too much on their history and are unable to design or innovate.

I don't think Levi's has or will make a comeback.

[SeanUCSB]

they seem to be doing pretty damn good for themselves.......from SFGATE, feb 13th 2008

"Levi Strauss & Co. shook off a sales slowdown in the United States late last year to boost its profit for the ninth straight quarter and cap the jeansmaker's best year in more than a decade.

The San Francisco company said Tuesday that it earned $267 million during its fiscal fourth quarter that ended Nov. 25, more than double the $96 million profit for the same time in 2006."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/13/BU93V16EU.DTL&hw=levis+profit&sn=001&sc=1000

[dino might]

the best way to put my personal view/relationship with levis is "bitter-sweet"

i hate them for making it a royal pain in the ass for me to get my higher quality-more labor intensive-made by more passionate people japanese jeans the way i want them, without anything cut off.. with the nostalgia of levis still intact. if levis (lvc) actually made a better jean than my samurais or flat heads or eternals then id buy it. names alone arent enough to convince me (for the most part..see below). what these japanese denim companies are doing isnt anything new, the japanese have been doing it to american products/businesses for the last century. harley makes a motorcycle, honda buys one, studies it, finds its fault and makes a faster, more reliable, and, in terms of performance (not opinion), a better bike. same happened with chevrolet, and the same happened with levis.

yet..

its impossible to ignore the fact that levis is an iconic piece of americana, something i and countless others rejoice in and adore. the whole history and impact is at the least, intriguing and at the most, to thank for companies like samurai etc coming to fruition and putting my favorite jeans in my closet. i havent purchased a pair in levis in more years than i can remember, but the magnetism of such a huge piece of not only american history, but world history, is almost inescapable. getting a pair of lvc 47s or 55s, even with all their shortcomings in contrast to their japanese counterparts, has been and is still in the back of my mind.

[airfrogusmc]

Well it just depends on what you're looking for. Seems like LVC has straightened out some obvious problems they had a few years back. Their 55s are the right weight made from cone mills denim. Allot of the Japanese companies over do their denim they make it to heavy and to slubby compared to original levis.

[tmadd]

the best way to put my personal view/relationship with levis is "bitter-sweet"

i hate them for making it a royal pain in the ass for me to get my higher quality-more labor intensive-made by more passionate people japanese jeans the way i want them, without anything cut off.. with the nostalgia of levis still intact. if levis (lvc) actually made a better jean than my samurais or flat heads or eternals then id buy it. names alone arent enough to convince me (for the most part..see below). what these japanese denim companies are doing isnt anything new, the japanese have been doing it to american products/business for the last century. harley makes a motorcycle, honda buys one, studies it, finds its fault and makes a faster, more reliable, and, in terms of performance (not opinion), a better bike. same happened with chevrolet, and the same happened with levis.

yet..

its impossible to ignore the fact that levis is an iconic piece of americana, something i and countless others rejoice in and adore. the whole history and impact is at the least, intriguing and at the most, to thank for companies like samurai etc coming to fruition and putting my favorite jeans in my closet. i havent purchased a pair in levis in more years than i can remember, but the magnetism of such a huge piece of not only american history, but world history, is almost inescapable. getting a pair of lvc 47s or 55s, even with all their shortcomings in contrast to their japanese counterparts, has been and is still in the back of my mind.

Well said...I have a similarly conflicted view when it comes to Levi's.

[soundbomber]

Levi's is the staple of it all, anyone who doesn't like them shouldn't be wearing jeans.

[dino might]

Well it just depends on what you're looking for. Seems like LVC has straightened out some obvious problems they had a few years back. Their 55s are the right weight made from cone mills denim. Allot of the Japanese companies over do their denim they make it to heavy and to slubby compared to original levis.

i know this. my affinity for extreme heavy weight and other original detials of the japanese companies dont get factored into my decision making. my samurai s710xx 19ozs are in no way authentic and true to the jeans of yesteryear outside of a few qualifying characteristics. theyre clearly not actual "repros", so i dont go about comparing apples to oranges. my sugar cane 1955s on the other hand are a different story..

[airfrogusmc]

SCs 47s are way more accurate in cut than Levis 47s but Levis 55s are right on anyway the 55s from last year compared to originals. The only diff I saw on the originals was the off center belt loop which the Levis is centered. I think Paul had said that was characteristic of a particular factory and originals were made both ways. Some were centered and some from one particular factory were off center.

Some other peculiar things with LVCs 47s are the back pockets are to small compared to originals. Also the cut is not like originals. SCs 47s are much closer. But again Levis 55s are really close.

[dino might]

true, the lvc 47s are slimmer.

as for the 55s, cool, i didnt know that they had gotten so much closer. but still.. the ORIGINAL zippers from the 50s on the sugar canes... its hard to get much more authentic than that. i just think thats the coolest feature/bragging rights ive seen on a repro.

*on another note, me being a "weight head"- what was the original weight of the 47s in 1947? and of the lvc repros?