Levis- Is it what it used to be?

beejay · 18th August 2009, 16:29

I have been an ardent wearer of Levis denim for a very long time now. However I seriously doubt the quality, or rather the value of the product in recent times. I do not intend to degrade the brand as this has been one of my favorites for a long time now and I wish to keep it that way.

Denims purchased in 1998 still last and have not developed a single tear except for the tear near the lower boot, which is normal. These are still quite comfortable except for near the waist

.

I had purchased some pants from the Levis store at 100 ft road in Bangalore this January. Of the three pants purchased one has a fly that stays stuck half way and the other has developed a tear near the belt loop. The other one is still going strong, except for the fact that the stitch has given way at the rear wallet pocket. My wallet cannot be put to blame as all the other pants carry the same wallet.

I wish to mention that I had purchased some pants from Levis outlet at the Leela Galleria and these pants have come a long way. These were red loop.

To put the point right across let me make it simple,"My old pants still feel like they will last, the newer ones feel like they wont last."

Just curious, do you think the old denims offered by Levis last longer than the ones purchased in recent times, or is it just me.

vasudeva · 18th August 2009, 16:33

This is somewhat unrelated to the purpose of this forum, but anyway I have not bought any Levis for myself over the last 2 years. Reason: tent like look and poor quality denim used.

beejay · 18th August 2009, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasudeva

This is somewhat unrelated to the purpose of this forum, but anyway I have not bought any Levis for myself over the last 2 years. Reason: tent like look and poor quality denim used.

Please understand that I do not wish to misalign the brand and the sole purpose is to know the actual fact.

I recollect reading in a thread someplace here, its best to do a research before you put in your money and get something, rather than get it and then do research and crib.

karizma_devil · 18th August 2009, 16:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasudeva

This is somewhat unrelated to the purpose of this forum, but anyway I have not bought any Levis for myself over the last 2 years. Reason: tent like look and poor quality denim used.

I suppose this particular section "Shifting Gears " reads - offbeat section dedicated to the world beyond cars !

So we can discuss and post anything under the sun ( apart from offensive material) .. atleast that is my understanding.

Well I also feel so they tend to become hard bit soon .. Levis have jacked up their prices , earlier thy used to be tad higher than LEE or Wrangler .. but now its at par with Nautica ( which is far better than levis.

navin · 18th August 2009, 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by beejay

I wish to mention that I had purchased some pants from Levis outlet at the Leela Galleria and these pants have come a long way. These were red loop.

To put the point right across let me make it simple,"My old pants still feel like they will last, the newer ones feel like they wont last."

You mean "Red Tab" right?

I've been wearing Levis since the late 60s (not the same pair). In those it days they were 'imported' and even the rear pockets were rivited. In the 70s the famous buttom fly '501' was a staple. A few years later I moved to the US and settled on the '560'.

When I moved back (15 years ago) I bought with me what I thought was a lifetime suppply of '560's. A few years ago I bought a pair (not '560') in India and they turned out not to fit well, my wife has got me many a pair (non of them '560') since and none of them work as well nor fit as well as the ones I got from the US. The zippers are not as good, the front pockets are shallower, the material thinner yet stiffer (the material on one the Levis shorts gave way in less than a year). Now these are pairs that sell for rs. 2K or so. So they are not cheap.

In short I finally asked a friend to get me 4 pairs of '560' on his trip to India (he paid $40 for each retail). Never will I buy Levis in India again.

vasudeva · 18th August 2009, 17:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by navin

In short I finally asked a friend to get me 4 pairs of '560' on his trip to India (he paid $40 for each retail). Never will I buy Levis in India again.

My brother has been a resident of London since 2000, and till 2004-05, he used to buy Indian levis on his trips here (because of being cheaper and comparable to Levis sold in the UK). Since then, he has stopped doing so, particularly over the last 2 years because of some decline in quality. As I said, my recent purchases (till 2007) of Levis have left me unhappy primarily because of their look and quality.

bhp1 · 18th August 2009, 19:10

Quality has certainly gone down in the made for India ones.
I have a pair of Levis bought from U.S. in 80's, they are still intact, though my waist size has increased so lying unused.
Levis has jacked up prices in India & also launched premium 501, red tab/loop, etc. I have bought a couple of them, one came in excess of 6-7K. Quality, fit is alright but certainly not in line with the American made levis.

One pair I bought in hurry last year turned out to be a classic piece of cheap manufacturing. Its front pockets are small & when you sit, the inside material becomes visible & moreover its made of some joker multicolored cloth, looks really awful. Also, the thread design on rear pockets uses really weird colors.

Eddy · 18th August 2009, 19:19

I agree that Levis is not what it used to be, but is it the still the best brand of jeans in India ? Lee does not fit me and I just don't like any other brand so have stuck to the L531 for now !

mclaren1885 · 18th August 2009, 19:37

UCB makes some of the best jeans one can get their hands on today in India.

simply_sunny001 · 18th August 2009, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

UCB makes some of the best jeans one can get their hands on today in India.

i wont say best but their patterns/designs are more global and modern compared to others

dre@ms · 18th August 2009, 23:11

I have never used levi..always lee. for some reason it fits me perfect. one downside is, in lee there no much designs available, i wear only boot cut.

Raccoon · 19th August 2009, 00:41

Very recently bought a couple of their products. Defnitely not impressed with the quality. I don't see anything in them at all to justify the price. A product certainly isn't worth much if it just sports a fancy internation label which is all hollow in real.

Samurai · 19th August 2009, 01:15

Buying Levis in India is a big mistake. I once bought 3 Levis denims (same model, different colors) in a Bangalore Levis store after trying one of them, it wasn't perfect, but passable. After coming back to my town, I realised that two others were much tighter. There weren't the same size despite carrying the same size tag.

Even the one I tried became tight when I tried to sit down. I just threw away all 3 of them. In India you can never return the pants because they all come in 34 inch length and then they alter it to fit your length. After alteration it can't be returned. It is a really huge scam here.

After that I have bought 3 levis denims, but all via Amazon.com shipped to an US address and then carried back to India. Eventhough I hadn't tried the pants before purchase (it was online!), all of them fit like a charm.

Fountainheader · 19th August 2009, 01:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

UCB makes some of the best jeans one can get their hands on today in India.

You should check out Giordano

sammyboy · 19th August 2009, 01:24

My dad used to have a pair of Levis Courdroys (bell bottoms

) in college. He wore them for about 10 years (till they fit

) and then kept them somewhere. When I was 17 or so (about 25 or so years later) I found them and wore them till I could fit into them, for another 10 years.
Thats what Levis quality used to be.

I used to love Levis Silver Tabs, unfortunately never got them in India but they lasted me for about 5 years. My 501's got from the US also lasted almost the same but the max Indian bought 501's last are 2 years max. Out of the 3 501's I have the oldest one is about 2 years old and it has started coming apart from the seams.

So, I guess the answer is NO, they are just not what they used to be.

18th August 2009, 16:29	#1
beejay Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: The Nilgiris Posts: 1,963 Thanked: 204 Times View My Garage	Levis- Is it what it used to be? I have been an ardent wearer of Levis denim for a very long time now. However I seriously doubt the quality, or rather the value of the product in recent times. I do not intend to degrade the brand as this has been one of my favorites for a long time now and I wish to keep it that way. Denims purchased in 1998 still last and have not developed a single tear except for the tear near the lower boot, which is normal. These are still quite comfortable except for near the waist. I had purchased some pants from the Levis store at 100 ft road in Bangalore this January. Of the three pants purchased one has a fly that stays stuck half way and the other has developed a tear near the belt loop. The other one is still going strong, except for the fact that the stitch has given way at the rear wallet pocket. My wallet cannot be put to blame as all the other pants carry the same wallet. I wish to mention that I had purchased some pants from Levis outlet at the Leela Galleria and these pants have come a long way. These were red loop. To put the point right across let me make it simple,"My old pants still feel like they will last, the newer ones feel like they wont last." Just curious, do you think the old denims offered by Levis last longer than the ones purchased in recent times, or is it just me.
	() Thanks

18th August 2009, 16:33	#2
vasudeva Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 2,221 Thanked: 212 Times	This is somewhat unrelated to the purpose of this forum, but anyway I have not bought any Levis for myself over the last 2 years. Reason: tent like look and poor quality denim used.
	() Thanks

18th August 2009, 19:10	#7
bhp1 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: NA Posts: 513 Thanked: 4 Times	Quality has certainly gone down in the made for India ones. I have a pair of Levis bought from U.S. in 80's, they are still intact, though my waist size has increased so lying unused. Levis has jacked up prices in India & also launched premium 501, red tab/loop, etc. I have bought a couple of them, one came in excess of 6-7K. Quality, fit is alright but certainly not in line with the American made levis. One pair I bought in hurry last year turned out to be a classic piece of cheap manufacturing. Its front pockets are small & when you sit, the inside material becomes visible & moreover its made of some joker multicolored cloth, looks really awful. Also, the thread design on rear pockets uses really weird colors.
	() Thanks

18th August 2009, 19:19	#8
Eddy Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 9,388 Thanked: 13,303 Times	I agree that Levis is not what it used to be, but is it the still the best brand of jeans in India ? Lee does not fit me and I just don't like any other brand so have stuck to the L531 for now !
	() Thanks

18th August 2009, 19:37	#9
mclaren1885 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore (the city of modded cars) !! Posts: 4,820 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	UCB makes some of the best jeans one can get their hands on today in India.
	() Thanks

18th August 2009, 23:11	#11
dre@ms BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MADRAS Posts: 638 Thanked: 206 Times	I have never used levi..always lee. for some reason it fits me perfect. one downside is, in lee there no much designs available, i wear only boot cut.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 00:41	#12
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Very recently bought a couple of their products. Defnitely not impressed with the quality. I don't see anything in them at all to justify the price. A product certainly isn't worth much if it just sports a fancy internation label which is all hollow in real.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 01:15	#13
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,831 Thanked: 45,596 Times View My Garage	Buying Levis in India is a big mistake. I once bought 3 Levis denims (same model, different colors) in a Bangalore Levis store after trying one of them, it wasn't perfect, but passable. After coming back to my town, I realised that two others were much tighter. There weren't the same size despite carrying the same size tag. Even the one I tried became tight when I tried to sit down. I just threw away all 3 of them. In India you can never return the pants because they all come in 34 inch length and then they alter it to fit your length. After alteration it can't be returned. It is a really huge scam here. After that I have bought 3 levis denims, but all via Amazon.com shipped to an US address and then carried back to India. Eventhough I hadn't tried the pants before purchase (it was online!), all of them fit like a charm.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 01:24	#15
sammyboy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Ggn/Dehradun Posts: 1,842 Thanked: 521 Times View My Garage	My dad used to have a pair of Levis Courdroys (bell bottoms ) in college. He wore them for about 10 years (till they fit ) and then kept them somewhere. When I was 17 or so (about 25 or so years later) I found them and wore them till I could fit into them, for another 10 years. Thats what Levis quality used to be. I used to love Levis Silver Tabs, unfortunately never got them in India but they lasted me for about 5 years. My 501's got from the US also lasted almost the same but the max Indian bought 501's last are 2 years max. Out of the 3 501's I have the oldest one is about 2 years old and it has started coming apart from the seams. So, I guess the answer is NO, they are just not what they used to be. Last edited by sammyboy : 19th August 2009 at 01:28.
	() Thanks