[Ikonik]

Ah... so another victim. I was so annoyed by the quality of my new premium Levis, that I went to speak with the manager. He explained that the ones I picked up were made in India, and (not said explicitly but intended) added that they are pure trash. I don't fully recall now but he said that there is a print somewhere inside the pant which gives all details of its manufacturing quality, location, cloth quality etc. the best ones available in India are either from US or Japan.
I suggest you check it out with the store where this information is, and then pick up a new pair.

[Prithvi]

Sadly today Levis is no more what it used to be. Recently went to their commercial street showroom and took a look at their jeans and it felt like they were all very old. We guys are just paying for the brand. Did not pick up anything.

Just went to Vashi's and bought some nice jeans from there. Have been doing it for over 10 years.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by CaliAtenza

I want to get Lucky Brand, but they are wayyy too expensive.

If you like Lucky Brand you should check Abercrombie&Fitch as well.
My favourite Levis design is 527 and they are not available in India. Tried to find something close here but quality was not up to the mark.

[carboy]

There is a brand called Max which belongs to lifestyle - they are sold in Lifestyle store & they also have Max stores in some malls (Mega Mall in Andheri(W)).

They have a jeans called Vintage Denim which is dirt cheap - Rs 549. It's not exactly what I am looking for - I have mentioned it here -> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post2209695

Vintage Denim is not as thick as I am looking for - but it's as thick as anything I could find in Levi, Lee, Pepe's etc. The bottom is not as narrow as I am looking for - but it's as small as anything I could find it in Lee, Levi etc. The color is almost exactly Indigo Dye. So I bought that & have asked them to narrow the bottoms by an inch - at Rs. 549 it's a steal, I think for people who are looking for traditional denim jeans.

[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by carboy

Levi's used to be a working man's clothes - clothes used during farming, manual labour, cowboys etc. Now it seems to be thin cloth for yuppies.

They still probably are elsewhere in the world. In India - its for all the yuppies now, especially with ugly re-attached hems and huge price tags and poor quality than the average 500 rupee jeans !

I picked up a few levi's jeans from one of their stores in USA. They still have the tag line "quality never goes out of style" at the stores and quality is also pretty good.

Levis has that tag line in India sometime in early 2000 or so when they still made good quality jeans and also you could get shorter lengths (30, 32) instead of the 34 they sell in India with and "alter" it for you (why should you pay a premium to get altered jeans!)

These days one never sees the "quality never goes out of style" tagline on any levi's india material looks like they changed it as they know what they make and sell in India!

Whoever runs Levi's India must be laughing all the way to the bank knowing that people around will keep buying any trash they make in the name of jeans as long as it has the label on it !

[naveenroy]

Hehe, I was reading this thread some years back and have had to revive it!

Help . I am desperately looking for Levis 517s. I don't mind (in fact would prefer, because of the price) factory seconds or some sales happening somewhere. I have tried and have not liked the fit of any of the other jeans and am looking for my favourite 517s again! Can anyone help?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Hehe, I was reading this thread some years back and have had to revive it!

Help . I am desperately looking for Levis 517s. I don't mind (in fact would prefer, because of the price) factory seconds or some sales happening somewhere. I have tried and have not liked the fit of any of the other jeans and am looking for my favourite 517s again! Can anyone help?

Go to their Indira Nagar store or Forum store or Brigade Road store and just ask!

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Go to their Indira Nagar store or Forum store or Brigade Road store and just ask!

No one has 517s here. I've asked everyone and everywhere. The successor to 517s here are the 527s - sits below the waist. Don't like those stuff. Since the 517s are still available in the US, I asked.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

No one has 517s here. I've asked everyone and everywhere. The successor to 517s here are the 527s - sits below the waist. Don't like those stuff. Since the 517s are still available in the US, I asked.

Their market strategy, target consumer and everything is different in India.
Hence we may not get some of the stuff that we might otherwise get in Aus, UK and the US.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Hehe, I was reading this thread some years back and have had to revive it!

Help . I am desperately looking for Levis 517s. I don't mind (in fact would prefer, because of the price) factory seconds or some sales happening somewhere. I have tried and have not liked the fit of any of the other jeans and am looking for my favourite 517s again! Can anyone help?

Originally Posted by naveenroy

No one has 517s here. I've asked everyone and everywhere. The successor to 517s here are the 527s - sits below the waist. Don't like those stuff. Since the 517s are still available in the US, I asked.

The 517s have been discontinued over a year back. What you find in stores these days are most likely old stock.

The closest to the 517 in terms of fit is 531 and not 527.Been a die hard fan of levis right from my college days in the late nineties and till date never used another brand apart from killer which was a gift. Darn I love my Levis so much,that I rarely give away jeans that I no longer use .

If you are still keen on getting the 517s then try Favorite shop, comm street or Central in Orion mall. I had seen them at central about a month back.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Their market strategy, target consumer and everything is different in India.
Hence we may not get some of the stuff that we might otherwise get in Aus, UK and the US.

Yeah, true that. Have also replied to your PM. Thanks!!

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

The 517s have been discontinued over a year back. What you find in stores these days are most likely old stock.

The closest to the 517 in terms of fit is 531 and not 527.Been a die hard fan of levis right from my college days in the late nineties and till date never used another brand apart from killer which was a gift. Darn I love my Levis so much,that I rarely give away jeans that I no longer use .

If you are still keen on getting the 517s then try Favorite shop, comm street or Central in Orion mall. I had seen them at central about a month back.

Ah even the salesmen seem to think that 527 are the successors to the 517s. And no mention of the 531 on this page - http://www.langstons.com/levis-numerology.html

Thanks, I will check in Commercial street.

[Chetan_Rao]

Have been a Lee user for nearly a decade & a half now. They fit well, and last fairly long. Had a pair of made-for-India Levi's a few years ago. Fit badly, and lasted barely a year.

The denims in Woodland stores used to be good too, though I don't have any recent experience. I only have one pair that I bought nearly a decade ago. Wore it full-length, then got bored and chopped it to shorts. Achieved a natural Indigo-to-sky blue fade over its lifetime, and it recently developed a small rip near the front left pocket. Still good though for another year or two, easily.


I have some fond memories of high school, when we used to get great deals on Arvind Mills' factory seconds. My dad's company used to supply denim fabric to them, so we got our pick of the lot. Only catch, the belt loop logo was provided separately and had to be attached outside, but that was no big deal and we could pick & choose which label we wanted.

[rohanjf]

I still regret buying my first pair of Levi's in 2004. I bought Red Tab, pay some 1500 Rs back then, which was more than 10% of my salary (that too, gross salary). I wore it only two times, and then it developed a tear where the back left pocket was stitched to the main cloth. I got it mended for free at a Levi's showroom. After wearing it once, the tear was back. I again got it mended at another Levi's showroom. The fix had created a lump on the cloth. I wore it one day, and the tear was back. I never wore it again. But I still have it in my cupboard, to remind me not to get fooled by the brand again.

Even with this experience, I bought my second pair of Levi's last year, because there was 60% discount sale at Total Mall, and I paid only 1200 Rs for it. I have worn this one some 30-40 times, and now I see that it has developed a hole near the front right pocket.

[Speed Pujari]

Somehow I have seen a similarity in quality of apparels of brands made by same manufacturer. Example, Lee, Wrangler, and Tommy made by Arvind mills they all feel the same in terms of quality as well as fitting.

Brands like Levis, UCB, Gap feels same in quality since they are all made by Gokaldas exports.

Having this research done I started to look out for independent manufacturer. One is FCUK, I bought a jeans and believe me it feels completely different in terms of cloth material and fitting. Another one is Gas which also felt different as in the material is soft to hold but very harsh to look.

[naveenroy]

Thanks to Shankar Balan for the help and I got a mail from the Marketing Manager of Levis in Bangalore.

Sadly, they'd stopped all manufacturing of the Levis boot-cuts in 2012 and he suggested I try the 504s and 511s. Weellll, I appreciate the response but my quest continues....