Paul Dillinger, head of global product innovation at Levi Strauss & Co., recently sat down with Fast Company to discuss the myriad ways Levi Strauss & Co. is striving to do right by the planet. This includes everything from sharing best practices with the industry to changing the way people think about the lifecycle of their clothes.
“In my wildest dreams, we’d be helping to cultivate a Levi’s consumer who values durability and demonstrates a real attachment to an object,” Paul said. “We’d be nurturing the person who doesn’t purchase because of immediate seasonal change, but who purchases for lasting value.”
Of course, this would require more than a shift in shopping habits, but rather a total culture change. That includes breaking the “fast fashion” mindset fostered by much of the industry and translated to customers who feel the need to chase the next new trend or look.
“We’re choosing not to participate in the fashion cycle. Instead, we’re choosing to cultivate long-term relationships with the consumer and deliver against their needs,” Paul said. “And hopefully that participates in the recalibration of consumption broadly, though that is a lofty goal.”
Beyond that goal, Paul also addressed how LS&Co. is taking progressive steps toward a more sustainable supply chain. It’s why we recently open-sourced initiative such as our Worker Well-being program, our Water<Less™ techniques and why we’re inviting sustainability-minded entrepreneurs to learn from our experience as part of the LS&Co. Collaboratory.
Read the full Q&A with Fast Company now, which also includes a cool video highlighting how we continue to improve jeans.
