LS&Co. Unzipped

May 15 2013

In India, Finally

Editor’s note: The Levi’s® 501® jean turns 140-years old this year. To mark the occasion, our company historian, Lynn Downey, is traveling the globe – sharing the story of the original blue jean with the people who wear them. Today, she shares her observations from her third and final stop in Asia, Bangalore.

I’ve wanted to see India at least since I was a yoga-obsessed college student. And I finally made it.

While my visit was brief, being in this colorful country met all of my expectations, starting with where I stayed.

The historic hotel – the Taj West End, which just celebrated its 125th anniversary – was a real treat for a historian. Its lush gardens and century-old cottages added a much-appreciated note of tranquility, given my very busy schedule. (That's the hotel in the picture above.)

I came to Bangalore – as to Shanghai and Beijing – to share the history of the 501® jean. And while I traveled far to tell the story, the distance from my hotel room to the presentation was short.  I was fortunate that my audiences came to me – at the hotel.

We started with Levi Strauss & Co. employees, more than 130 of them, excited to hear company lore and history and see some amazing displays of Levi’s® jeans from over the years. It’s always a treat to share stories of Levi Strauss himself and how the company he started 160 years ago has evolved and grown over time. Of course, my stories are not only about the company and the jeans, but also about the people who’ve worn them.

My Indian colleagues were genuinely interested in our history and particularly struck by how 501® jeans were worn in 1950’s movies. That our products, now so “all-American,” were considered “bad boy” blue jeans got a chuckle from the crowd.

Employees who’d been in product management and sourcing were very interested in historical construction details – asking questions on how the garments were put together and even about thread color.

Of course, it’s not just history. A colleague followed my presentation with an update on the latest 501® marketing campaign and products being produced for the Indian market.

Afterwards, the people who both sell and make our product in the region joined local LS&Co. leaders and me for an exclusive session. My hope is that helping them better understand the long history of the original blue jean will help them better appreciate what they’re selling and what they’re making, but clearly there’s a deep appreciation already. Those attending were mainly from India, but two of them actually flew in from Sri Lanka, just for this event.

My final audience was a small group of editors from six different publications. It was fun introducing these journalists to our heritage, and they seemed to enjoy our both our conversations and viewing our product from over the years.

While it took me many years to get here, I left India with many fond and happy memories. And I can’t wait to return – perhaps on holiday next time, so I can fully immerse myself in the history and culture of this warm and friendly country. And I’ll be wearing my Levi’s® jeans, of course. They appear to be quite welcome here.

Levi's® 501s® on display.

Lynn oversees her pieces of history.

Lynn enjoys a break between audiences.

Posted By: Lynn Downey, Historian, Levi Strauss & Co.
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