Eyeballing denim branding

It must be hard for denim giants and their marketing departments to come up with new and innovative ways to spend their huge budgets, and in an increasingly grass roots focused on-line world denim brands are coming at you on the web, in clubs and on the catwalk.


In the midst of London Fashion Week, Levi's chose hip man about town Henry Holland (not to mention his supermodel side-kick Agyness Deyn) to launch a designer collaboration on the catwalk and exclusive retail distribution at Selfridges. These holey, slightly pop-art limited edition pairs of jeans retail for £200 each and embody the "of the moment" cache that the House of Holland brand has right now. At the same time Levi's premiered its four new iconic TV ads on-line via its 501 website which was a bit of a first after decades of impactful television and cinema advertising; everyone’s got a favourite, from the days of Nick Kamen in that launderette scene to the more recent US ads that took "impact" to a new level. The Knockout ads resonate with a Youtube generation in need of instant hit laughs and brand appeal. All this and for what? Oh the product - Levi's has reinvented the 501 with a more modern fit that includes a tapered leg, a straighter waistband and a lower backrise - all with three new "vintage-inspired" washes. Contemporised if you will via research in eight capital cities. About time! Better be sure otherwise the wall to wall tube ads at Oxford Circus will be a complete waste of eyeballs!

Meanwhile over in the Italian camp at Diesel it's all about the brand's 30th birthday.
Diesel is celebrating 30 years of denim "by giving something back to its customers" on October 10 with the Dirty Thirty jean at a bargain bucket price of 75% off the normal £200 price tag (=£guess). Available worldwide the special edition dirty wash jean is a one day wonder featuring limited edition hardware, leather tab embroidery and anniversary logo. And to help Diesel fans celebrate the brand has organised a global club night XXX in 18 major cities around the world: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Beijing, Copenhagen, Dubai, Helsinki, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Oslo, Paris, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Zurich.

The London event, The Creative Experiment, will take place at new venue, Matter, situated in the O2 site but with its own separate entrance on The Thames. Designed by experts to offer a "unique, state of the art proposition for live music and club nights in the UK", Matter will have opened its doors only three weeks before Diesel's birthday. Yes you guessed it, 30 of the hottest musical acts are booked to perform unique and exciting collaborations throughout the night. Diesel friendly artists include, Cock’n’Bull Kid, Disco Bloodbath, Friendly Fires, Hannah Hanra, Lethal Bizzle, Mark Ronson, Mystery Jets, New Young Pony Club, Ox.eagle.lion.man, Pete Doherty, Rob Da Bank, The Lovely Jonjo, These New Puritans, The Souljazz Records Soundsystem, The Teenagers, The View and many more... Partygoers can experience this amazing evening for just £5 a ticket, with all proceeds going to the Youth Intiative Livity.

Andy Griffiths, Head of Communications at Diesel UK, commented “In celebration of 30 incredible years of Diesel, we will be putting on the biggest party of 2008, spanning the globe. London’s unique celebration will focus on 30 one of a kind collaborations from music’s most exciting and groundbreaking artists."

So in true Diesel style the denim brand is a lifestyle choice not just a pair of jeans.