holt Huisamen, managing director of Levi Strauss & Co for East Asia Pacific, about how nostalgia is fueling the future of the business. Levi’s place in the fashion industry as the inventor of blue jeans puts the brand in a unique position to be a historian of denim or a powerhouse of innovation, and potentially both if it gets the balance of relevancy correct. The premiumisation of workwear  Levi’s heritage is grounded in workwear and its authentic-inspired LVC collections pay homage to time capsules like the architects and workers who constructed New York City in the 1930s and the underground music scene of 1960s Detroit. “What we call our premiumisation strategy is something that I’ve seen over the last two to three years that has paid significant dividends for us,” Huisamen told Inside Retail. “We’ve seen this become a big part of our core business, due to a need but it’s now becoming a strong marketing play in campaigns to drive business.”  The dance between honouring the past and looking to the future is one that Huisamen and Levi’s team is extremely conscious of. “We cannot always just depend on our heritage, we try to find ways to connect with consumers on more relevant platforms as well as collaborations and new innovations around performance cool,” said Huisamen. “So we naturally have to balance that heritage with youth, because that is ultimately what’s driving the growth in Asia markets,” he added. While Levi’s archive of 20,000 designs sets it apart from other denim brands, its premium strategy is attempting to seamlessly blend history with innovation. All with the ultimate goal of positioning Levi’s not only as a preservationist of denim culture but as a denim trendsetter. Levi’s: Made in Japan While Levi’s is a US-centric brand that is proud of its American origins, its international arm is responsible for its growth, in particular, the East Asia Pacific market. “In a market like Japan, you will be astounded at the level of knowledge and the level of aspiration there is for American brands, especially denim brands, especially Levi’s in a place like Japan,” said Huisamen. According to Levi’s, 40 per cent of its sales in Japan come from its tier-one product offering, which includes the LVC product range.  “This is not happening in the US, this is not happening in the place where this brand was born,” said Huisamen. “There’s a very strong aspiration in Asia towards Americana, and the history behind the brand,” he added. Huisamen credits the success of the LVC collection in Japan to the deep storytelling of products, like the 1936 Type I jacket he wore to the interview, that connects with consumers in the East Asia Pacific markets. Levi’s “Made in Japan” and LVC collections have become coveted by global fans of the brand and are making a strong case to lead the brand’s point of view on premium products. “We now find that what we call our Made In Japan product, which is made from selvedge denim, is now one of our fastest growing capsules within Southeast Asia,” explained Huisamen. “I think Japan is such a unique marketplace for our brand – it is really the most elevated Levi’s jeans market in the world,” he added. From Huisamen’s perspective, Japan can provide a halo effect for Levi’s brand as its product quality and fashion clout sit at the intersection of Asia’s denim culture. “It’s really trying to stay at the centre of culture, right? That is what Levi’s is all about,” concluded Huisamen.