ADVISORY/Still Riveting after 150 Years: Levi Strauss & Co. Displays Historic Archives in Los Angeles.

Feature & Lifestyle Editors/Assignment Desks/Fashion Writers

ADVISORY...for Thursday through Saturday (Aug. 7 through Aug. 9)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

       Los Angeles is Final U.S. Stop Before World Archive Tour
 Returns Home to San Francisco Celebrating Company's 150th Anniversary
                and its Authentic Icon, Levi's(R) Jeans

WHAT:     For the first time ever, Levi Strauss & Co. is sharing with
          the public pieces of its exceptional collection of rare
          garments and memorabilia that span the company's 150-year
          history.  The display is part of a tour designed to share
          the archives with enthusiasts around the world.  Specific
          items include:

          --  The Nevada jeans, believed to be the oldest in existence
              (circa 1880s), found intact in a Nevada mining town and
              purchased for $46,532;
          --  A denim tuxedo specially designed for Bing Crosby in
              the 1950s;
          --  19th Century catalogs, print advertisements and retail
              signage

          Additionally, Lynn Downey, Levi Strauss & Co. historian, has
          invited vintage-clothing enthusiasts to bring in their own
          vintage product for authentication.

WHEN:     Archive Viewing:
          Thursday, August 7 through Saturday, August 9
          10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Thursday
          10 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday - Saturday

          Product Authentication:
          Saturday, August 9
          12 p.m. - 3 p.m. PST

WHERE:    The Levi's(R) Store
          1409 3rd Street Promenade
          Santa Monica, CA  90401

WHY:      Home of the monthly Rose Bowl flea market, a top destination
          for seekers of vintage Levi's(R) Jeans, Los Angeles serves
          as the perfect host to an American icon that introduced the
          most enduring and popular piece of clothing in history --
          blue jeans.  The Levi's collecting craze began in Japan
          20-25 years ago before catching on with the same fervor in
          America, and Los Angeles remains a foremost city for
          collectors due to its fashion focus and proximity to Asia.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES:
          --  Levi's(R) traveling archive display, which includes
              rare artifacts from every decade since the 1850s
          --  The world's oldest and most expensive pair of jeans,
              purchased in 1998 for $46,532
          --  Levi's(R) enthusiasts waiting to have their vintage
              product(s) appraised by the Levi Strauss & Co. historian