Mention the word Levi’s and most people will probably think about their pair of beloved denims that seem to virtually outlast just about any article of clothing they have ever owned. Well, Levi’s is certainly keeping up with the times, and their latest product is not yet another kind of cut for a new pair of jeans, but a cellphone instead. Yes, ModeLabs Group has just announced the first Levi’s cellphone in Hong Kong - and I wonder how the handset’s sales would do in a territory where folks seem to change their cellphones far more often than their underwear.

A dynamic city like Hong Kong apparently loves glitzy launches, and the Levi’s cellphone launch certainly drew a whole lot of attention, which is always a good thing. Hong Kong is often seen as the “forerunner in fashion and technology trends in China and, more globally in Asia”. This new handset will be made available in around forty points of sale of the city’s main names (e.g. The Levi’s Store, Broadway, City Call, PCCW, and Show Room CSL); and to date, several thousands of phones have already been ordered - guess folks have plenty of faith in what Levi’s has to offer despite the company being far more famous for their jeans and clothing line than anything else.

According to ModeLabs Group, the main challenges today are the design and international marketing of products that really stand out with first-level brands. Pierre Asséo, Director of ModeLabs Asia says, “Launching into a new country is the materialization of technical, marketing and sales investments. Future product launches should benefit significantly from the experience acquired with this first deployment as the essential commercial and technical engineering will already have been deployed.” Jean-Alexis Chatelain, ModeLabs’ Sales Vice-President in Asia chipped in, “So far, the Levi’s® mobile phone has received an excellent reception in Hong Kong. We are working in close collaboration with Levi’s in order to benefit from their brand image, the strength of their communication, and their commercial networks.”

Press Release, image courtesy of Gizmodo