Some brands are so big, so ubiquitous, that it’s hard to imagine that they were once small businesses, or that the name on their instantly recognisable logo belonged to a real person. Levi Strauss was one of those real people. Born in Bavaria, Germany, he moved to the US in 1846. After seven years in New York, he headed to the west coast to join the gold rush, not as a prospector, but to set up a wholesale business, dealing in, among other goods, clothing.
In San Francisco he quickly became a respected businessman and, in 1873, struck gold himself when he spotted the potential of the hard-wearing riveted trousers being made for labourers by tailor Jacob Davis. The two men went into business together, as Levi Strauss & Co, and before long were manufacturing thousands of pairs of blue jeans, the US workwear that went on to become a worldwide wardrobe staple.
Beyond his thriving business interests, Strauss was committed to sharing his prosperity with the community around him, becoming one of the biggest philanthropists in 19th-century San Francisco. He made donations to an orphanage, a school for the deaf and supported several charities. He also set up 28 scholarships at the University of California, Berkeley, part of his enduring legacy.
Today, Levi’s operates in 110 countries, and in March 2019 debuted on the New York Stock exchange, valued at $6.6bn. But it is Levi’s values, rather than its value, that the brand wants to talk about today. So what are those values? “Empathy, integrity, originality and courage,” says Jason Kyriacou, the UK marketing and experience director. “These four pillars shape how we work and the decisions we make. It’s what we want to stay true to.”
Levi’s is a true San Francisco native, and not just in terms of embracing today’s tech takeover. The brand’s hometown is the gay capital of the US, and Levi’s has a long history of working with LGBTQ+ groups. In the 1980s, it was one of the first corporations to advise staff about HIV and Aids, reaching out when both the disease and the groups initially likely to be affected by it were heavily stigmatised.
The company went on to advocate for gay marriage.
In the UK today, Levi’s takes the spirit and ideals of its San Francisco creator and embodies them in a uniquely British way, not least in its ongoing partnership with Queer Britain. “It’s a young organisation with bold ambitions,” says Kyriacou. Queer Britain curates and archives examples of gay culture in the UK and hopes one day to establish a permanent museum. The three-year partnership kicked off last year with a photography exhibition that coincided with London Pride 2019. The show, on the theme of Chosen Family, celebrated the diversity and uniqueness of the LGBTQ+ experience through the work of four artists, Alia Romagnoli, Bex Day, Kuba Ryniewicz and Robert Taylor.
Another strand of the company’s work, the Levi’s Music Project, has given young people from London to Barcelona access to recording studios, workshops and classes, and offered them the chance to be mentored by trailblazing musicians. This is all part of a global drive by Levi’s to ensure emerging talent has the opportunity to find its voice, and a platform where it can be heard. Among the artists inspiring the next generation are Mist, Vince Staples and Rosalía.
Last year, a short film for Levi’s Your Voice. Your Way campaign featured five young people from the Levi’s Music Project. The artists came from across Europe, including Londoner Hak Baker and Liverpool’s Michael Aldag. They had received mentoring in their respective projects from rapper and producer Skepta and Brit-hop musician Loyle Carner.
“It’s been about enabling people to learn and to express what they want to say,” says Kyriacou. “These are all people who haven’t gone through conventional channels and might not have been heard.”
For the latest manifestation of Your Voice. Your Way, Levi’s is partnering with The Guardian Labs to publish a counterculture zine put together by eight young creatives. The writers, photographers and illustrators recruited for the project by The Guardian Labs are all aged between 18 and 25, and have little – if any – media experience. What unites them is that they all have a powerful story to tell, in the zine that will be published on Saturday, 27 June.
“Again, it’s about giving creative voices a chance to say their piece in a place they wouldn’t usually have access to,” says Kyriacou. The team have free rein to work on their zine, with advice from The Guardian Labs staff and no limitations from Levi’s.
“Projects like these aren’t about telling people what they can and can’t do,” says Kyriacou. “We’re here to support and do the best we can. We try to be facilitators more than anything. I don’t think we can dictate to any community around what they need to do to benefit themselves. That’s not for us to do.”
Use Your Voice ...
The Your Voice. Your Way campaign is a reflection of Levi’s values and its commitment to giving a voice to people who are often marginalised and overlooked.
In this spirit, a zine, sponsored by Levi’s, is being produced by eight talented young creatives. The zine will be published alongside the Guardian on Saturday, 27 June
