Kids Take Over LS&Co.


Levi Strauss & Co.
April 29, 2015

Last Thursday, more than 170 kids descended on our San Francisco headquarters for Kids Take Over LS&Co.

Timed to coincide with Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day in the U.S., the event was an opportunity for employees to show the special children in their lives where they work every day, and what makes LS&Co. special.

Activities were tied to some of the most important parts of our business and values: product and design, giving back and sustainability.

To try their own hand at design, kids had the opportunity to stud, bedazzle and paint an item of clothing (with this crowd, less is not more), and during a snack break, Leah Isla Dela Cruz talked about the design process and how designers find inspiration from the world around them.

To reinforce LS&Co.’s commitment to giving back, kids stuffed teddy bears and wrote cards to the children of factory workers at Grupo M, one of our long-standing manufacturing partners, in Haiti. (Heartwarming moment of the day: Hearing some of the older children explain to the younger ones that these stuffed animals weren’t for them — they were for children who don’t have as much as we do.)

And to bring sustainability to life, teams made fabulous outfits out of (clean) trash, which they then flaunted in a “trashion” show. Candy wrappers, discarded rags, packing materials, water bottles, old holiday decorations — garbage has never looked so glamorous.

In between it all? Impromptu dance parties. These kids had enthusiasm to spare.

As one person shared, “All of the activities were inherent to the LS&Co. values, and it was a great way to teach our children about our company culture. Hopefully they will be able to learn from and spread the message of their positive experience.”

We asked our young attendees to tell us a little more about what their parents do at LS&Co.: