"Levi's can produce many more Western jeans than we can and make them at a better price"
About this Quote
Jeans are supposed to be the most democratic item in your closet, but Calvin Klein’s line is a candid reminder that democracy still has supply chains. On its face, he’s conceding a hard manufacturing truth: Levi’s, the original mass-market denim machine, can crank out Western jeans at scale and undercut almost anyone on price. But the real work of the quote is defensive and strategic. Klein isn’t just praising a competitor; he’s drawing a border around what his brand should not be judged on.
The intent is to shift the arena from commodity to cachet. If Levi’s owns volume and unit economics, Klein positions himself to own image, fit, and the kind of aspirational gloss that turns basic workwear into fashion. It’s a preemptive reframing: don’t compare us on price per ounce of denim, compare us on what it feels like to wear the name. In the language of brand warfare, he’s acknowledging Levi’s dominance so he can justify differentiation without sounding delusional.
The subtext is also a quiet admission about power: heritage brands with entrenched distribution and production relationships can outcompete newcomers on the most straightforward version of the product. So fashion has to do something else - invent desire, attach sexuality, minimalism, or status to an object that’s already been perfected industrially. Context matters here: late-20th-century American designers were learning that the real margin isn’t sewn into the seam; it’s sewn into the story.
The intent is to shift the arena from commodity to cachet. If Levi’s owns volume and unit economics, Klein positions himself to own image, fit, and the kind of aspirational gloss that turns basic workwear into fashion. It’s a preemptive reframing: don’t compare us on price per ounce of denim, compare us on what it feels like to wear the name. In the language of brand warfare, he’s acknowledging Levi’s dominance so he can justify differentiation without sounding delusional.
The subtext is also a quiet admission about power: heritage brands with entrenched distribution and production relationships can outcompete newcomers on the most straightforward version of the product. So fashion has to do something else - invent desire, attach sexuality, minimalism, or status to an object that’s already been perfected industrially. Context matters here: late-20th-century American designers were learning that the real margin isn’t sewn into the seam; it’s sewn into the story.
Quote Details
| Topic | Business |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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