HOMEGROWN LEVI’S® EVA RANGE HITS US STORES

A South African designed range of jeans for women with more curvaceous bottoms has been snapped up in the States by bootylicious fashionistas.

The South African ‘invented’ Levi’s® EVA jeans were a result of SA women speaking out about wanting to show off their ‘booty’ and challenging the industry to give them the right fit. “We identified this gap in the South African denim market and are delighted that women around the world seem to feel the same way as our South African style setters,” says Debbie Gebhardt, Marketing Director of Levi Strauss South Africa.

“A large part of our female market was telling us that jeans often fit around the seat, but gape around the waist, making them uncomfortable and unattractive. Shape rather than sizing was the problem. New waist-to-hip ratios had to be created,” says Gebhardt. Levi’s® EVA jeans are designed to have more fabric and stretch in the seat with a curved waistband which is higher at the back and lower in the front, allowing for a snug and flattering fit around the waist.

The range has been so successful in South Africa that it has now been extended to include a number of styles including culottes, skirts and other seasonal fits. The range also includes a non-denim option and will be releasing a corduroy finish in Winter 2008.

“Developed for the local market, we realise that Levi’s® EVA has global appeal. Stars like Beyoncé, Shakira and J-Lo have destigmatised curvy bodies and popularised ‘bootyliciousness’. There are limited options for women with this body shape and the success of Levi’s® EVA locally and internationally proves this,” explains Gebhardt. Loretta Choy, Levi Strauss’s US merchandiser, says the range was launched in key outlets as a test earlier this year in the United States. She says Levi’s® EVA jeans’ rate of sales fast reached a par with the brand’s most successful styles.