On October 6, Levi's opened a new concept store in London called Levi’s Haus in the heart of Soho at 41 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JQ. It offers a new exclusive product selection, Levis’s by Levis’s, that is only available at this location.
The new product solution is made from entirely repaired, reimagined and recycled Levi’s items and aims to encourage consumers to purchase more thoughtfully and sustainably, wearing their Levi's jeans for longer and also rethinking how to shop by buying old products reinvented into new ones.
The Levi's by Levi's selection is made by old pieces formerly owned by consumers and from Levi's, including faulty and returned items that could never be sold, and donations from employees and consumers. As part of the project, the store's team of in-house expert tailors will help extend the life of old Levi’s no matter what condition they’re in.
The secondhand items can be reinvented in three ways: Repair, Reimagine and Recycle. With Repair customers can bring their well-worn denim to Levi’s Haus where expert tailors can hand-stitch, patch or repair them. With Reimagine, Levi's is partnering with Indigowares, a company dedicated to creating low-impact products using organic indigo dye. Thanks to artist Lisa Reddings, Indigowares can add shibori decoration techniques to reimagine iconic Levi's styles including tracker jackets and 501 jeans. The Recycle alternative also incorporates handcrafted recycled product and materials sourced from both consumer donations and the Levi’s back catalog to create accessories including bucket hats, tote bags and bum bags.
Richard Hurren, vice president of retail, Levi’s Europe, says: “We are delighted to announce the opening of Levi’s Haus, London. This unique concept store is the first of its kind within our retail portfolio and will serve as the new home for your every need when it comes to extending the life of your denim. Whether it’s a simple patch repair by our tailors, or the chance to create something entirely new from your pre-loved Levi’s, there is something to suit every price point and every creative idea.”
Longevity and circularity are at the core of Levi’s aims for this project as part of a commitment to making fashion sustainable and creating a space for fans and creatives to come together to love what they wear, live with it longer and sending less old clothes to landfill.
The clothing industry has to behave more responsibly and face a new challenge as it consumes too many resources, pollutes too much and creates too much consumer waste. In the last 15 years the textile industry has doubled production, plus, people wear each item for a shorter period of time. According to Levi’s estimates, if consumers simply keep an already owned item in its life cycle nine months longer, they can reduce the impact on the planet by around 30% for that one item and by buying something pre-owned they can further reduce the impact on the planet.
Repurposing and repairing clothes requires minimal additional energy input. Levi’s by Levi’s requires little to no water spending, no dyes (with the exception of natural indigo dye for Reimagined products crafted by sustainable textile artist Lisa Reddings of Indigowares), no global transportation and no power needed to make new jeans.
To further encourage such practices Levi’s will offer a 10% discount for any donation made via the in-store digital donation experience to consumers donating their previously loved Levi’s via the interactive donation wall. The user receives a direct deposit of “500 coins” which translates into 10% off new purchases via the Levi’s 24/7 app which also can be used in-store or online at levi.com.
While recycling technologies continue to be improved and refined, Levis' can make an impact now by encouraging consumers to rethink how they shop, a philosophy that can be summed up, as Levi’s likes to say, in this expression: “Old is new–and that’s the future.”
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