LS&Co. Unzipped

Welcome to our blog. Here’s where you’ll find a “behind-the-seams” look at what’s going on with Levi Strauss & Co. You’ll hear from a variety of voices, from both inside and outside the company. And you have the chance to share your thoughts. So read on — and weigh in!

Jan 29 2013

At Pitti Uomo, Khaki's Past...and Future

If you want to make an historian – and fashion aficionado – happy, send her to an apparel trade show inside a 16th century fortress.

I speak from experience, having recently returned from Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy. (That's me, smiling, in the picture above.)

Pitti has long been one of the most important venues for men’s apparel brands to showcase their upcoming clothing and accessory collections. The setting was the Fortezza da Basso, in a series of old and new buildings. Those who know say the location makes this the most visually attractive trade show in the world.

Buyers from across the globe come to see the direction of men’s fashion and style. I was there in support of the Dockers® brand, which used Pitti to showcase its continued innovation through the launch of the new Alpha Collection as well as the brand’s SF and Dockers® K-1 collections.

Angelo Ng leads Dockers® global merchandising, and he walked reporters and retailers through the best of the brand’s collection for Fall and Winter 2013. My role was to show off the company’s history -- and who knew that so many editors would be interested in vintage khakis?

Well, I wasn’t that surprised.

The Dockers® brand dates back to 1986, but Levi Strauss & Co. has been making khaki clothing for more than 100 years. And we’ve played an important role within the history of the cloth that has, over the years, won hearts, minds and more than a few wars.

Our vintage garments have always wowed the press, and that was certainly the case at Pitti. Among the goodies I brought from our collections was a pair of 1920s khakis that was found in a cave, and some post-war khakis much beloved by 1950s college students.

I love surprising people about our company history, and the Archives never fails to impress. I also brought along a 1912 retail catalogue. And let’s just say I had to keep a close eye on it. It was, perhaps, a little too popular with some folks. (I've included a page from the catalog below.)

I really enjoyed talking to our retailers. The show gave me the opportunity to see the whole spectrum of people who love the Dockers® brand.

Addio, Pitti. I hope to see you again soon!

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

 Bookmark and Share
 

Tags:

Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.

Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.

We welcome your comments.

When submitting a blog comment, please consider the following guidelines:

  • Focus on the topic
  • Be constructive and considerate
  • All submissions are subject to the terms set forth in our Terms of Use

This is a moderated blog. Each comment will be reviewed. We reserve the right not to post your submission if it’s off-topic or contains any of the following types of content or violates other guidelines:

  • Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for a public forum
  • Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers, or websites
  • Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other forms of contact information
  • Critical or spiteful comments on other posts on the page or their authors

In addition, if you wish to share feedback with us about product selection, pricing, ordering, delivery or other customer service issues, please do not submit this feedback through this blog. Instead, contact us here.