LS&Co. Unzipped
Dec 15 2011
Downey Down Under, With Denim
Have you ever had the experience of going to a foreign country and once you hit the streets you suddenly felt absolutely at home? That was my experience on a recent trip to Australia.
I've just returned from Down Under. My traveling partners? Four pairs of vintage Levi’s® jeans: the XX, the 501® jean from 1879, also called The World’s Oldest Pair of Jeans; the Nevada, found in a dusty mining town; Lady Levi’s® jeans worn at an Arizona dude ranch in the 1930s; and a fun pair of girl’s striped flares from 1969.
My purpose was to visit Sydney and Melbourne, and help spread the word about the history and current relevance of Levi’s® jeans, in addition to doing some fun PR events to publicize the opening of the new Levi’s® store at the Melbourne Central shopping mall. I did everything from live radio interviews, to chats with fashion reporters, to a quick stint on the Today Show. (To see the eight-minute clip, click here and, then, type World's Oldest Jeans in box titled Search Ninemsn Video.) The most fun was to stand in the center of the shopping mall, flanked by two former policemen as security guards, and share the four pairs of jeans with throngs of Christmas shoppers.
This was the first time any vintage jeans from the company’s Archives had made it to Australia (it was my first trip, too), and they were a big hit with the media and consumers. The overwhelming response to seeing the classic old denims was: “Well, it’s about time you came down here!”
Over and over I felt an amazing sense of connection when I showed the jeans to Australians, no matter what their age, occupation or fashion sense. And as that was happening, I kept feeling like I was in a comfortable, old groove of a place, as though I had not traveled halfway around the world, where the water runs the opposite direction down the drain.
As I wandered through both cities, visiting museums, libraries, and historic buildings, I kept bumping into amazing similarities between our two countries:
Australia is a young country, just like the United States.
Its original settlers were mostly British. Just like the United States.
Australia had a gold rush in the 1850s, just like California did.
They even have a romantic outlaw: Ned Kelly, the Jesse James of Australia.
The historian in me was both intrigued and delighted: it was like seeing the history of my own country in a parallel universe.
Anyway, between the great experience of sharing Levi’s® history with some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met, gazing in awe at exhibits in two spectacular cities, and enjoying the best coffee I’ve had outside of my own kitchen, this first trip to Australia will not be my last
Posted By: Lynn Downey, Historian, Levi Strauss & Co. |
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glen n jen (not verified) - Dec 15 2011
Nice report Lynn ! Can't wait to see you again downunder! Cheers Glen N Jen
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