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!

Nov 15 2011

The Right Pair of Jeans. With Braces.

Over the years I’ve sported numerous iterations of the twisted jean, a popular style where the inseam rotates to the exterior at the bottom of the pant. More recently, I’ve been looking for something else, but didn’t quite know what I was looking for, vaguely hoping that I would just know it when I saw it.

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Posted By: Julian Harriman-Dickinson, Creative Partner, HARRIMANSTEEL

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Nov 03 2011

Going Forth

After an incredible, almost 24-year career with Levi Strauss & Co., it’s time for a new chapter in my life, time for me to Go Forth!I’m a blessed guy. My journey at Levi’s® has been a unique one, combining an iconic brand, incredibly passionate and talented people around the world, and amazing values into one, unstoppable force.And, of course, we wouldn’t be here without you, the people who buy our products. Whether you’re a longtime fan or one drawn by our new styles and innovative products, thank you.

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Posted By: Robert Hanson, President, Global Levi's® Brand

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Nov 02 2011

A Better Way to Grow Cotton

Author Robert Louis Stevenson once said: Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.That’s certainly our philosophy when it comes to our long term commitment to Better Cotton – cotton grown in a way that reduces the environmental impacts of farming and supports the 300 million people engaged in cotton farming around the world.We’re proud to let you know that more than 2 million pairs of Levi’s® and Denizen™ jeans made with Better Cotton are hitting our retail stores this fall. 

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Posted By: Michael Kobori, Vice-President, Sustainability, Levi Strauss & Co.

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Oct 19 2011

The Future of Business Education

I run the Business and Society Program at The Aspen Institute, where we are dedicated to developing leaders for a sustainable global society.

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Posted By: Cory Warren, Editor, LS&Co. Unzipped

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Oct 12 2011

Sharing Lessons to Improve Workers' Lives

Although Vietnam has a different set of labor standards than Egypt, the vast majority of people who work in factories around the world are young women who migrate from rural communities to the city, in search of a better life. This means that while they may all benefit from knowing how to protect themselves from harassment or learn how to calculate their paycheck, training programs have to be tailored to fit social, cultural and legal nuances.  

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Posted By: Daniel Lee, Executive Director, Levi Strauss Foundation

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Oct 09 2011

A Signal To Women Everywhere

As a woman, I have to admit I was more than a little inspired by Friday's news that the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three … women.They are Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, peace activist Leymah Gbowee, also of Liberia, and Tawakkol Karman, a pro-democracy campaigner in Yemen.All three are seen as fearless pioneers for their work as nonviolent activists – promoting peace, democracy and gender equality. At Levi Strauss & Co., we have a respect for pioneers and the roles they play in making history.

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Posted By: Laurie Etheridge, Levi's® Brand Global Senior Vice President, Women's Merchandising & Design

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Oct 07 2011

A More Sustainable Future...By Design

When Rob Forbes sees parking spaces in San Francisco, he doesn’t always see asphalt and cars. He often sees a blank canvas waiting to become a lush green community gathering space.“Cities are the bedrock of our culture,” the founder of Design Within Reach explains as a photo of a mini-park, occupying former parking spaces, appears on the LCD screen behind him.

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Posted By: Rebecca Youngs, Associate Editor, LS&Co. Unzipped

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Sep 30 2011

We're All In It Together.

Suppose you’re an apparel company, moving product from, say, raw cotton in the field to a finished item in a store.It’s a long chain, with many links. And while that “supply chain” process has never been simple, the added constraint of sustainability is making it even more complex. How do you get that product from farm to store…with minimal impact on the environment?So it makes sense that colleges – and students – are taking a closer look, in the classroom, at sustainability. And collaboration.

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Posted By: Will Morrison, Program Manager, Berkeley-Haas Center for Responsible Business

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Sep 16 2011

Driving Social Innovation...to End HIV/AIDS

People exposed to or living with HIV/AIDS often don’t receive the care or support they need - particularly if they are low-income, live in more rural settings, or live on the margins of society.We need to change that.Fortunately, for the first time since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, the United States has a national HIV/AIDS strategy in place. And increasing access to health care for those who don’t have it is one of the strategy’s urgent goals.

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Posted By: Daniel Lee, Executive Director, Levi Strauss Foundation

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Sep 12 2011

Banning Sandblasting - The First Year

It's been one year since Levi Strauss & Co. and H&M announced a global ban on sandblasting on all our products. Since then, other apparel companies have joined us.In this video blog post, our chief supply chain officer, David Love, shares his views about the reasons behind the ban and what you can do as a consumer to help end sandblasting as a finishing technique.

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Posted By: David Love, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Levi Strauss & Co.

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