How does a company dating back to the 1800s stay digitally relevant in the 21st Century?
This week, Marc Rosen, EVP and president of Direct-To-Consumer for Levi Strauss & Co., addressed this question through a first-person piece focusing on “Best Practices for Innovating at 165 Years Old” for The Lead, a new quarterly publication meant to bridge the fashion and retail industries with Silicon Valley.
“We will always be in the business of style, fit and design – but now we are also in the business of data, AI and cutting-edge user interfaces, and that requires us to think as much like a tech company as an apparel company,” Marc wrote.
He goes on to write about the delicate balance between keeping a startup mindset and taking full advantage of our size, history and global reach. When done well, we reap the benefits of both worlds.
But that balance has not come without its fair share of lessons along the way. Marc specifically calls out the need to:
- Look outward
- Drive speed and agility
- Create a data-driven “test & fail” culture
- Embrace partnership
- Know what you can offer to attract the right talent
