Here’s What Happened When Kids Took Over Levi Strauss & Co.

Last week, employees didn’t just take their kids to work — they showed them every side of our business. From sustainability and giving back, to design and marketing, more than 120 kids experienced what it means to be a Levi Strauss & Co. employee through hands-on activities, games and exercises.
The day kicked off with a lesson on sustainability using our Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) curriculum. Our employee Water Ambassadors led lessons and games that taught kids about their water footprints and the importance of conserving one of earth’s most precious resources.


Teams also participated in a backpack stuffing activity to deliver much-needed school supplies to 1,300 Bay Area youth through our partnership with Teach for America. Kids swarmed the supply tables, eagerly packing markers and notebooks into backpacks often larger than themselves.

Finally, the event closed with the ultimate design boot camp: the Trashion Show. A favorite among past attendees and a delight to first-timers, kids were given free rein to turn trash into fashion. Teams had an hour to brainstorm and build an outfit from recycled materials, create an advertising campaign for their product and prepare a model for the Trashion Show runway.
Food packaging, cardboard, plastic bags and leftover fabric were translated into kid couture. The preparation was intense, and alterations came down to the wire. Little designers tugged at yarn and taped together trash bags while mini marketers invented slogans for their products.


All this hard work culminated in the final Trashion Show catwalk. Kids showcased their creations on the runway, where they flaunted some impressive modeling skills. Some strutted, others posed and a few even danced across the stage in their repurposed outfits.

Between activities, many of the young participants were overheard showing off their impressive LS&Co. IQ, whether talking about Trucker jackets, 501® jeans or their parents’ work. As one little girl declared following a fabric find during Trashion Show prep, “This is definitely Levi’s® denim!”