Essay on Levi's

1457 Words6 Pages
Essay on Levi's Levi’s jeans, created by Levi Strauss, for miners in the late 1800’s has become a phenomenal fashion trend in today’s society. With the help of mass media and societal changes, Levi’s went from a practical commodity to an internationally known fashion statement. Better known as the original blue jeans of today, Levi’s authentic and innovative jeans began setting new standards in the production of denim. Parasitic companies’ that imitated Levi’s look thrived off their advertising campaigns because it was Levi’s key element to success. Now a household name, Levi’s jeans have transcended cultural boundaries around the world through the techniques of mass communications. In the 1950’s, there were massive changes in society; denim pants became less associated with work-wear and more associated with leisure activities. “It was not until the ‘50’s, though that jeans shed their working-class aura and became the icon of youth, rebellion, and frisky sexuality,” stated by Jay Tolson (U.S. News & World Report). This was Levi’s jeans breakout era on the fashion market. They were among the explosion of cinema and the rock’ n’ roll culture, becoming associated with sex and rebellion. During this time, Hollywood stars were wearing blue jeans as a style rather than a practical garment, such as Marlon Brando and James Dean. Marlon Brando’s debut in “The Wild One,” wearing blue jeans, launched Levi’s as a medium of mass communications. Wearing them in films and in their day-to-day lives, they became mediums of mass media, reaching a wide-range of audiences, making blue jeans a symbol of the new generation of rebels. Due to this unpopular attention, Levi’s jeans were banned from schools because of its bad boy image. To add fuel to the fire, Levi’s created an ad in a national newspaper. The ad was of a photo of a clean-cut kid with the caption “Right For School.”
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