Levi’s sets up shop with a new total blue concept

Levi’s has moved location on the Champs-Elysées. With less than 100 days to go until the Olympic Games, the world’s number one jeans brand has moved from number 76 on the Parisian avenue, where it has been established for 12 years, to number 44.

Opposite Lacoste and adjoining Calvin Klein’s future Paris flagship, the new Levi’s flagship has eleven linear metres of windows to showcase its universe to the more than one million French and international visitors who ply the avenue every month. This is far more than the previous location, where the main retail space was on level -1.

Now, the Levi’s spirit is clearly visible from the street, with its large red logos and a graphic installation of denim bricks running across the top of the windows. Inside, the 540-square-metre space expresses the denim giant’s rediscovered obsession with blue and its core identity. After expanding its offering beyond blue canvas in recent years, the brand is returning to its roots with a world awash in indigo, with neon lights, screens projecting azure visuals and jeans-coloured walls and ceilings (even the insulating foam in the ceiling is dyed blue).

As soon as you enter, large catwalks display around fifteen models in total denim looks. From its iconic 501s and Trucker Jackets to the latest loose and baggy styles, shorts, dresses and dungarees in raw, faded and white versions.

“This shop is much better suited to our need to bring the world of Levi’s to life for customers. We opened with the idea of presenting the denim dressing room,’ explains Luccia Marcuzzo, General Manager for Europe. We presented these different proposals because whatever your style, we have a Levi’s style that can match.”

The shop has adopted the latest concept, the details of which will be rolled out across the brand’s network over the coming months. On the right as you enter, an area is entirely dedicated to 501, with the three issues displayed in hyper-large format on the wall. Next to it, an area is dedicated to the history of the brand, with photos of the first Levi’s fashion show in Paris in the 1960s at the Palais de Tokyo, and of its key models, displaying old versions of the 501 that are sold in the shop. A remarkable new feature of the flagship store is a huge rack dedicated entirely to the brand’s signature model, with all the latest versions for men and women. “We’ve dedicated a Taylor ambassador to this concept,” explains Toufik Benzenati, the shop manager. “He’s a good sales advisor, but above all he’s a very good storyteller. The idea is to sell a product, but above all to tell its story. And it’s not just a question of telling the Levi’s story, which fans may already know, but of telling lots of details about the history and anecdotes about this product.”

Right next door, Levi’s has expanded its Tailor Shop, its customisation and repair area. Already present in its previous store, this area offers customers the chance to modify and repair their Levi’s clothing thanks to a team of four dedicated staff. Small operations can be carried out directly in the store, but the brand has a real workshop, which is not visible, to carry out repairs, for example. While most customers have to pay, members of its Red Tab loyalty programme have access to the services free of charge… This is Levi’s way of encouraging customers to return to the shop.

Another way of making the store attractive is through a special offer. For the opening, a special collection was designed by the San Francisco design team to celebrate the link between the city and the brand, but Levi’s is also delivering a capsule collection with the music platform ColorsxStudios and its founder, rapper Jewel Usain, featuring the Original Trucker jacket, the Original 501 men’s jeans and the 501 women’s crop jean. There is a dedicated area to showcase these special collections, such as the one that will be presented as part of the Olympic Games this summer. The shop is also modular and is intended to become an events venue for the brand, which intends to regularly bring together the artistic communities on site, both for its loyal followers and for the general public.

The brand also wanted to showcase the artistic side of the store, with a denim-coloured installation on the grand staircase leading to level -1, designed by artist Quentin DMR, who installed and integrated his creation throughout the staircase.

Downstairs, denim continues to take pride of place, with both men’s and women’s styles on offer. The range of styles has been expanded, and the brand has added a touch of technology, with touch screens showing styles in different languages to help customers choose from the many different cuts of denim, for example. The fitting area, with its spacious cubicles, has also been given a facelift, with larger cubicles and a more welcoming space that provides better support and advice from the teams.

“The emphasis is on customer care. This is fully in line with our priority strategy of building direct relationships with consumers,” explains Luccia Marcuzzo. “All these services and events enable us to create a concrete relationship with consumers. Not everything has a direct commercial impact. But with this point of contact with the customer, you learn what they like and what they don’t like. It also allows us to be more accurate and responsive in our long-term strategic choices.”

With an enhanced level of service and the prospect of significant traffic this summer, the team has been strengthened to meet this new challenge. And it’s no mean feat, given that the flagship is currently the only one of its kind in Europe.