Levi Strauss to market iPod-ready jeans, with "retractable headphone unit"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Levi Strauss will introduce a new iPod-compatible blue jean in the fall of 2006. The new, premium jeans will be called Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans and will feature a pocket with a docking cradle for the music device. The jeans' watch pocket will contain a remote control for the iPod, and the jeans also feature a retractable headphone unit. They will be designed for men and women.

While high-profile, high-end denim makes up a small amount of Levi's revenue, it provides a valuable marketing opportunity for the world's first jeans-maker. An association with Cupertino-based Apple Computer Inc.'s must-have, industry-leading iPod could further help Levi Strauss stage a fashion comeback. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced on Tuesday that that the music player spurred holiday sales to a 63 percent increase.

Levi Strauss reconceived its premium jean offering for 2006 to keep up with a growing appetite among consumers for expensive denim. This spring it will introduce two new lines, Capital E and Levi's Red. Capital E is a super-premium line which starts at $140 for a pair of jeans and climbs as high as $350. Levi's Red will ocupy an upper-middle price point of $50 to $80.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2006/01/09/daily46.html?f=et79&hbx=e_du