A Levi's Story: Reviving an Iconic Brand

By Chip Bergh

Levi's former CEO--who joined the company after a 28-year career at Procter & Gamble, where dozens of his direct reports became CEOs of other companies--shares how to build great brands and ignite growth.

Levi's was lost. For more than a decade, the company that changed how the world dressed had been stagnating--at one point near bankruptcy--as its iconic product, 501 jeans, faded into a nostalgic relic amid more-fashionable competitors.

Fast-forward to today. Levi's are back and just about everywhere, from college campuses and concerts to workplaces and red carpets. Influencers style them. Taylor Swift sings about them, and Beyonc and Post Malone's hit "Levii's Jeans" compares them to a lover's hug. To paraphrase British Vogue, the jeans beloved by James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Springsteen, and Kurt Cobain, as well as presidents and protestors, are once again part of the culture, worn by style icons like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, as well as moms and dads.

This is the inspiring, instructive story of Levi's resurgence, from the CEO who led it.

Chip Bergh was a die-hard Levi's fan when he was tapped to be CEO thanks to his track record leading successful brands at P&G. In this brisk narrative, he reveals the most consequential decisions and the six timeless tenets of what he coins "brand-driven leadership" that fueled Levi's revival: origin stories matter; the brand is the business; marketing is an investment, not an expense; be customer obsessed; control how the brand shows up; and play the long game.

With rich storytelling and actionable insights, Bergh shows how universal leadership principles returned Levi's to relevance, as he surprises readers with fun facts about the history of the company that introduced denim jeans to the world.

For any leader facing crucial strategic choices, and anyone who loves jeans, A Levi's Story is a compelling narrative and a vital resource to start, build, or revive brands and unlock growth.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H7BCMFB3
• ISBN13: 9798892792172
• Release Date: March 2027
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 272 Pages