Levi’s 3 branding secrets

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Levi’s 3 branding secrets

Keeping a brand relevant while remaining loyal to its roots “is not an easy business,” said John Anderson of Levi Strauss & Co. during yesterday’s keynote address—but the LEVI’S brand has endured thanks to three key strategies.

Authenticity, iconography and innovation are the factors that have helped LEVI’S to thrive for 150 years, said Anderson, who is President and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco. 

Levi’s has done this first and foremost by maintaining the authenticity of its products and business practices. The integrity of both the brand and the company behind it “is critical to a brand’s success,” said Anderson. This includes making a difference in the community and implementing progressive company policies. Levi Strauss continued to pay employees while it rebuilt following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and became the first company to offer benefits to same-sex partners in 1992. “Consumers and business partners recognize that we have a set of principles that keep the brand fresh and distinct,” said Anderson.  

But with that recognition comes the need to maintain and protect the iconography of the brand. Anderson recounted the history of the LEVI’S trademark, which by the start of World War II included distinctive orange stitching, complete with an arcuate design on the jeans’ back pocket. Because the ornamental stitching seemed wasteful during the war, when supplies were low, the company improvised by hand painting the design onto the pockets “for the duration” of the war, as the logo explained. 

That type of innovation is the company’s final secret to success—in addition to rethinking sizing for women’s jeans and updating the brand’s logo for the 21st Century, Levi Strauss & Co. recently introduced the first WATER <LESS jean, which saved 16 million liters of water this spring alone. “Brands have to introduce new ideas constantly for new markets,” said Anderson.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Attorneys explain why there are early signs that the US Supreme Court could rule in favour of ISP Cox in a copyright dispute
A swathe of UPC-related hires suggests firms are taking the forum seriously, as questions over the transitional stage begin
A win for Nintendo in China and King & Spalding hiring a prominent patent litigator were also among the top talking points
Rebecca Newman at Addleshaw Goddard, who live-reported on the seminal dispute, unpicks the trials and tribulations of the case and considers its impact
Attorneys predict how Lululemon’s trade dress and design patent suit against Costco could play out
Lawyers at Linklaters analyse some of the key UPC trends so far, and look ahead to life beyond the transition period
David Rodrigues, who previously worked at an IP boutique, said he may become more involved in transactional work at his new firm
Indian smartphone maker Lava must pay $2.3 million as a security deposit for past sales, as its dispute with Dolby over audio coding SEPs plays out
Powell Gilbert’s opening in Düsseldorf, complete with a new partner hire, continues this summer’s trend of UPC-related lateral movement
IP leaders at Brandsmiths and Bird & Bird, who were on opposing sides at the UK Supreme Court in Iconix v Dream Pairs, unpick the landmark case and its ramifications
Gift this article