It’s the last week of 2015, so we’ve decided to take a look back through the most-viewed stories of the past year from our Unzipped blog. The more than 250 stories published covered a wide variety and range of topics from company milestones (saving 1 billion liters of water, giving $300 million through the Levi Strauss Foundation) to launches and announcements (working with Google on wearable technology, acquiring one of the oldest pair of jeans, launching the Levi’s® women’s collection, the Levi’s® Pride collection) to new sustainability initiatives (creating the #WashLessPledge, expanding in-store recycling) and community partnerships (Project WET, Pollination Project, Goodwill, Teach for America, Center for Biological Diversity), and we’re thankful our readers were along for the ride.
In 2016, we look forward to bringing you more stories from the denim community, and continuing to share how our company strives to sew innovation, sustainability and giving back into everything we do.
As we look ahead to the great promise of the new year ahead, it’s not without a nod to our past and appreciative acknowledgement of the rich heritage that’s brought us here today.
Enjoy our year in review and the trip down memory lane, and we’ll see you next year!
Come Clean About How You Wash Your Jeans
Washing clothes may seem like a thankless, mundane chore, but there’s actually lots of water and energy to be saved by becoming more conscientious about how, and how often, jeans are washed. Last spring, we announced LS&Co. has saved more than 1 billion liters of water through our Water<Less process and unveiled the findings of our second Lifecycle Assessment study. To help consumers do their part to save water, we launched a quiz that measured how individuals stack up against the average person’s washing habits. Then, we challenged people to take the #WashLessPledge by committing to wash less between World Water Day and Earth Day. The pledge may be over, but we hope the wash less message endures into 2016 and beyond!
Don’t Toss Those Old Jeans. Here’s What To Do Instead.
Earlier this year, we created a bit of playful utility with a flowchart designed to help people find alternatives to throwing away their old jeans — from getting crafty with a glue gun to cutting them off at the thighs to donating them to Goodwill. Two announcements this year also give consumers additional options for giving clothes a new life. In July, we expanded of our in-store recycling initiative to all U.S. stores. In November, we launched a new partnership with Goodwill that allows consumers to donate used clothing to their nearest participating Goodwill store by downloading a free shipping label from Levi.com and Dockers.com.
A New Addition: Meet the New Nevada Jeans
Of the expansive collection of vintage jeans in the LS&Co. Archives, the New Nevada Jeans was a particularly exciting acquisition. Not only are they one of the oldest pairs of jeans in existence, but they’re also in near-perfect condition. The pants, which were found near a Nevada mining town, date to around the 1880s.
Why Brands Should Reflect Their Values Through Their Products
Our Chief Merchandising Officer Grant Barth announced the launch of the Levi’s® 2015 Pride collection, which included a limited-edition rainbow tab. Grant wrote about how throughout LS&Co.’s history, the company has stood for equality of all people in a number of ways. “At LS&Co., we understand that apparel is more than a reflection of the current trend. What we wear is an essential form of self-expression.”
A Bold Sustainability Statement at Sustainable Brands
Our CEO Chip Bergh took the stage at the Sustainable Brands conference to discuss the company’s unwavering focus sustainability. “My job is to ensure the sustainability of this corporation for the next 162 years. And as a result of that, we have to be concerned about the sustainability of our supply chain. We have to be concerned about the sustainability of the environment and we have to be concerned about water.”
Giving Your Clothes A New Life
Just in time for summer closet clean-outs, we expanded our clothing recycling program so that consumers could drop off their old clothing or shoes at their local Levi’s store to receive 20 percent off a single, regular-priced Levi’s item. We believe in a more sustainable future and this encouragement of a circular economy will definitely be carrying itself into the New Year.
#LadiesInLevis: Introducing the New Levi’s Women’s Collection, As Worn By Alicia Keys
Since creating the first-ever blue jean for women in 1934, the Levi’s® brand has obsessed over making the perfect pair of jeans for women. That’s why we were excited to announce the launch of the brand’s new women’s denim collection, in addition to a new global brand campaign featuring Alicia Keys.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Our readers were eager to go behind the scenes to learn about the process the Levi’s® team went through to create its new women’s collection. A team of designers, merchants and technicians traveled the globe to find out what women around the globe really wanted from their jeans. From Beijing to Barcelona, our team learned it was all about a great fit and women feeling empowered by having their voices heard.
3 Ways To Identify Vintage Levi’s Jeans
On National Thrift Store Day, we gave some insider tips for finding Levi’s® vintage gems. Pro Tip #1: Look for a “Big E” on the right back pocket red tab. If LEVI’S is in all capital letters, it means the jeans are from before 1971.
Follow The Leader: Best of Bike Culture On Instagram
From the biking travel photography of @bikepackingcom to the Portland-based bike builders @breadwinnercycles, we brought you the best of bike culture on Instagram. Snap up some biker-friendly apparel and you’ll be ready to cruise through 2016.
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