Posted on 05/29/2009 10:45:18 AM PDT by NYer
SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Levi Strauss & Co., the jeans manufacturer that has long been a leader in corporate support for the homosexual activist movement, has come out with a new marketing scheme that may dupe consumers who buy their products into displaying support for same-sex "marriage."
Company owned stores in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco will be displaying their summer line-up of jeans and shirts adorned with "White Knots for Equality," a symbol that denotes support for homosexual "marriage."
The symbol, a white ribbon tied in a knot, was developed by Frank Voci, the owner of a California media company, to capitalize on the opposition to the passage of Proposition 8, the California voter-approved constitutional marriage amendment. The knotted white cloth mimics the various ribbon campaigns such as the pink ribbon for breast cancer campaign.
Commenting on the company's amalgamation of marketing and political activism, senior vice president for global creative services for Levi's, Rene Holguin, said, "Our design team was seeking something that would resonate beyond just fashion but also fit with our white product theme."
The staff members of the stores that are displaying the clothing with white knots have been instructed to engage customers with explanations of the homosexual agenda symbol, hoping that customers will be educated through an informed conversation."
"We have weekly calls with our store managers and we sent out detailed information about the White Knot organization and also ways in which we're supporting marriage equality overall as a company," Levis director of brand marketing and public relations, Erica Archambault, told the New York Times. She added that she wants sales staff "to be educated and able to have an informed conversation that's more interactive than reading off a card or something."
San Francisco-based Levi Strauss was the first Fortune 500 company to extend health benefits to homosexual couples and was a major financial supporter of the "No On Prop 8 Equality Business Council," which was formed to oppose efforts to define marriage as being between one man and one woman in the California constitution.
The company gave $25,000 to Equality for All, the coalition leading the No on 8 campaign, while Robert Haas, the company's chairman emeritus and his wife gave a further $100,000, according to a company spokesman.
A report by Business Wire states that the Levi Strauss Foundation announced yesterday that it will make a $25,000 donation to the National Center For Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and $25,000 to The San Francisco LGBT Community Center (The Center).
NCLR was the lead counsel on the effort to overturn Proposition 8 in the California Supreme Court.
The Center is a homosexual drop-in facility that "organizes and plans the political and cultural future for the LGBT community" in San Francisco.
See related LSN coverage:
Levi Jeans Funds Push for Homosexual "Marriage" in California
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08092911.htmlBy Thaddeus M. Baklinski
What a bonehead move. Does Levi’s not understand that Californians have TWICE voted down the gay marriage thing? Who voluntarily cuts out the majority of your sales in one of the largest states? Plus a lot of Levi’s custormers are down to earth folks and it’s just plain dumb business to not know your target buyers.
You Betcha! :)
damn, and I love Levi’s.
Well, there’s a winning marketing strategy: piss off 98% of your market.
Levi’s-another item I can live without. Check.
"Excellent boycott target"
LOL! Bingo, bingo!!
OOps. sorry, warrior. that second "bingo!" was meant for you!
I stopped buying Levi jeans back in the early 90’s when they moved their plant to Mexico and went from 7 belt loops down to 5 loops which puts more point strain on the waste area.
I give exactly zero dollars to United Way and I purchase exactly zero products from Levi Strauss.
Check out Diamond Gussett jeans. They make just about any size you can imagine. They are 100% made in the USA, and the company is a joy to deal with.
I drive a truck (locally) for a living, and my motorcycle is my primary means of transportation. No other pants are as comfortable for driving, riding, or just sitting on a barstool. They are high quality, and last a long time.
They also make jeans designed for motorcycle riding with kevlar in the knees, hips, etc.
(Maybe Levi's should start putting kevlar in the knees of THEIR jeans.... for different reasons, of course!)
I hear they were also going to issue pants with a button down flap in the rear end for quick access.
Looked them up, no odd sizes (5,7,9,11, etc.) They do look to be great Jeans though.
Thanks for the tip! I like Coldwater Creek but don’t have any of their jeans. I’ll check them out. I agree about the low cut, and most jeans seem to be that way. I still have a pair from Banana Republic that I loved because they fit perfectly - although they’re quite old now. I don’t think BR makes jeans like that any more and I can’t replace them and can’t let them go. :)
My favorite pair of shorts ever were from Banana Republic, but that was back probably in the 1980s. They were sturdy cotton, high waist, fairly long (middle of my thigh) and had a cuff. I loved them and wore them until they literally wore out (a number of years). When I tried to find that sort of thing at Banana Republic, I was disappointed that they didn’t have anything remotely like it. So sad.
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