If you live and breathe Levi’s® and you happen to be in Berlin, then you better believe you’re taking the 200-mile (350-kilometer) detour to see where the magic began. Last week, a few of our modern-day visionaries — Levi’s® Brand President JC Curleigh, Levi’s® Chief Merchandising Officer Grant Barth and Vice President of Levi’s Footwear & Accessories Tom Berry — did just that and visited the Levi Strauss Museum in Buttenheim, Germany. (Check them out in the above photo alongside two local public officials.)
The museum is housed in the timber-framed home where Levi lived from the time he was born in 1829 to when he emigrated to the U.S. around 1847. As we all know, Levi’s path led him to much success and renown, thanks to those riveted blue jeans, but his birthplace remained a diamond in the rough for more than 100 years.
In 1987, the Buttenheim council decided to purchase the home and restore it as faithfully as possible, turning it into a museum dedicated to Levi and his legacy. Since opening in 2000, it has won several awards, and it continues to be a destination for denim-heads the world over.
