Levi's jeans not made in the USA -- isn't this just wrong?

DaveFromGA · Aug 22, 2008

Is there anyone else out here who thinks that Levi's jeans not being made in the States anymore is just wrong? I'm NOT looking at this from an economic angle, so please, let's not turn this into a debate on the merits of "made in China" vs. "made in USA." What I'm saying is, Levi's is so closely identified with the USA that it just doesn't seem right to have them made anywhere else (I also feel that way about cowboy boots, but that's for another thread), and for me it almost seems sacrilegious to buy the new, non-USA-made jeans.

Strangely enough, I've always known that major jean brands like Gap, American Eagle, and Abercrombie and Fitch were made in other countries, and it's never really bothered me.

djh · Aug 22, 2008

Levi's has been making its jeans outside of the USA for... 30 years now? Maybe longer..

And if Levis is so closely identified with the USA, what about Lee? Or Wrangler?

tagutcow · Aug 22, 2008

As well, the closing of their American factories is concomitant with a nosedive in the quality of all but their premium line.

I bought a beater pair of jeans off their website for $22 (retail was $70), but I honestly wouldn't have paid $15 for it. The hoodie I bought for the same price is so horrid I can only wear it to the gym or on night walks.

Nico Samuel Pleninsek · Aug 23, 2008

Originally Posted by adidassler

Levi's has been making its jeans outside of the USA for... 30 years now? Maybe longer..

And if Levis is so closely identified with the USA, what about Lee? Or Wrangler?

No, they started closing US factories in the 90's. 30 years ago Levi's were definetly made in the USA.

I view Levi's now as mostly crap jeans anyways, they are good to wear to school as I couldn't give a damn if they were stolen from my PE locker.

I believe Wrangler still makes their raw jeans in the USA.

djh · Aug 23, 2008

Really? I was judging by all the vintage Levi's shirts that I've seen in thrift stores. Polyester blends and made in Vietnam.

batorizer · Aug 23, 2008

raw lvc are made in usa. they're the only ones worth buying anyway.

Arethusa · Aug 23, 2008

Originally Posted by DaveFromGA

Is there anyone else out here who thinks that Levi's jeans not being made in the States anymore is just wrong? I'm NOT looking at this from an economic angle, so please, let's not turn this into a debate on the merits of "made in China" vs. "made in USA." What I'm saying is, Levi's is so closely identified with the USA that it just doesn't seem right to have them made anywhere else (I also feel that way about cowboy boots, but that's for another thread), and for me it almost seems sacrilegious to buy the new, non-USA-made jeans.

Strangely enough, I've always known that major jean brands like Gap, American Eagle, and Abercrombie and Fitch were made in other countries, and it's never really bothered me.
American cars are made in Mexican maquiladoras with borderline slave labor while Japanese cars are made in America with well paid, non unionised labor. Welcome to globalisation. I suppose it's aesthetically odd, but this is much bigger than jeans. And Levi's suck anyway.

kiya · Aug 23, 2008

You have two choices..
Buy the LVC collection that's made of Cone denim and produced here in America...
Or buy Sugar Cane's reproductions which are exact repros made of the identical denim and cut and sewn here in America.

tagutcow · Aug 23, 2008

I just realized...

I don't want to freak DaveFromGA out, but he had become a running joke on a regional board I read. One of the board members there was a female who went by the screenname DaVega, and someone had run a Google Images search on the name and had gotten a picture of DaveGA, and we all joked that she was really you.

Or maybe it was just a whimsical folk etymology, and it's just a coincidence that you have the same name. In any case, I thought it was worth saying.

brohymn · Aug 23, 2008

Most Capital E stuff is made in the USA, or at least that's what the tags say. Capital E still sucks though.

Chinook · Aug 23, 2008

Three weeks ago I was on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation (why American's refer to Aboriginals as Indians is beyond me) and I stumbled upon a trading post. We decided to stop by.. and in the back corner they had a section of blue jeans! Of course, I hurried over and started looking at the STFs. I didn't want a pair.. Just wanted to admire some Levi's.. see if I could find Made in Mexico vs Made in South America and feel the difference.. I noticed a single pair that had a different washing instructions card above the arcs.. The first thing that came to mind was that they were probably Made in USA. So I grabbed them and they felt splendid in comparison to the cheap South American runs.. They were $19.99 and the copyright on the cardboard was 1993.

/rant.

They did not fit.. they were 30-34 and that is what I would normally fit.

Arethusa · Aug 23, 2008

Originally Posted by Chinook

(why American's refer to Aboriginals as Indians is beyond me)
Because we opened up a can of whup ass on them at Wounded Knee.

poly800rock · Aug 23, 2008

honestly, i stopped buying levi's after they stopped US production. If they made USA made jeans, I would KOPP all the time. The old levi's premium line USA is awesome!

Rye GB · Aug 23, 2008

Originally Posted by Arethusa

Welcome to globalisation. I suppose it's aesthetically odd, but this is much bigger than jeans. And Levi's suck anyway.
Wal Mart and Costco have spoiled this country with the stack it high sell it cheap mentality. The soda swilling majority that want as much as they can for each dollar they spend are the root cause of US production heading overseas. Why purchase one pair of well made shoes when you can buy 10 plastic pairs for your fat feet to destroy over the same period.

Rock · Aug 24, 2008

^ Because "consumerism is based on the rapid obsolescence of each form."

- (product and furniture designer) Enzo Mari

Levi's jeans not made in the USA -- isn't this just wrong?

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