Asia’s young emerging middle class desires current fashion at an affordable price-tag. And with 150 years of history behind Levi’s® jeans, Levi Strauss & Co. came up with a new global brand Denizen™, to cater to this new group of consumers. Singapore, where the company’s Asia-Pacific headquarters is located, was chosen to spearhead this initiative. Here, an international talent team made up of more than 130 people from 16 countries, including America, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, India, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore, brought together their creative and innovative ideas – to develop and create the new brand.

“The diversity of talent in Singapore makes it unique among the world’s fashion epicentres.”

“We found that in addition to having a well-educated workforce, the Singapore government has done a tremendous job in anticipating the required skills and capabilities.”

Being able to hire high-performing talent is important to Levi Strauss. Stakes are high as it joins the swelling ranks of MNCs that are eyeing the potentially lucrative Asian market. Two decades of robust economic growth has transformed the region from its long-held position as the factory of the world into a massive consumer-driven market. According to the World Bank’s estimates, just over half of emerging Asia is considered middle class, and their rising disposal income is fuelling a consumer spending boom in Western branded merchandise.

To oversee its expansion in Asia, Levi Strauss & Co. has for some years been focusing on the development of Asian talents, people who not only can deliver high performance within their own markets, but also who can be deployed in different markets around Asia. These talents are brought into its Singapore HQ for short stints and training.

Boey explained, “The exposure to a cosmopolitan mix of people in Singapore allows the trainees to understand the nuances of doing business in these markets, and allows them to acquire the skills that are necessary to be effective and to be successful in the region.”

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Levi Strauss & Co. spent two years developing the brand and conducting consumer insights to gain a better understanding of this new group of consumers, who are young, wired and on-the-go. Boey shared that the strategising, planning, and test-bedding was done out of Singapore.

“It was done very effectively,” he recalled. “We had the right group of people based in Singapore and we were able to effectively direct the activities on the ground in Shanghai remotely from Singapore. The excellent infrastructure and resources in Singapore allowed us to do this.”

“We tested various things in Singapore,” Boey added. “The look of our stores, product merchandising, tone and feel were all factors we evaluated.”

Today, in addition to Singapore, the brand is also available in China, India, South Korea and Pakistan. Based on the positive consumer response, the brand has expanded into the United States and Mexico in July 2011.

“Singapore represents a diverse cross-section of Asia, in terms of ethnicity, tastes and fit. It offers compelling value and a strong base of talent for many international brands to want to be based here,” said Boey.

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