iPod Jeans ‘Connected’ by Levi’s and Apple
It has been estimated that over 42 million Ipod’s have been sold. There are hundreds of sites on the net where one can download music. You can buy your songs in singles or album formats. But combining this hi-tech fad into a fashion statement? Who would ever think of that, the company Levi Strauss did.
Claude Levi Strauss began selling jeans in 1850. It was the Gold Rush years and the young Mr. Strauss went to San Francisco from New York, to sell supplies to the miners. When he arrived, he was asked what he was selling. He said rough canvas for making tents and wagon covers. He was then told that he should have brought pants. The clever Mr. Strauss took his rough canvas cloth and started making pants for the miners. The miners liked them, but complained they chafe. Mr. Strauss then substituted the canvas for a twilled cotton cloth that came from France. The miners loved them. And his company was started. They advertised their jeans as durable wear and catered not only to the miners but to the cowboys of that generation. They cloth, of course, became known as denim and the rest became history.
Since then we have seen many jeans styles come and go. They have also come in many colors. But this newest trend is by far the most innovative.
The company plans on launching this line of jeans this coming fall. The designer is Phillip A. Marineau and he has been working along side Apple Computer. They are calling it connected jeans. They will come in many of our favorite styles such as button fly, bell-bottom, faded and fitted. But these jeans are more than just jeans. They are designed for the avid Ipod user. Coming with their own set of headphones, they have a special pocket built in them for you to place your Ipod and another pocket has been designed to hold a built in Ipod controller, which you connect to your IPOD, thus the name “connected jeans.”
The controls will be compatible with most system players and they are washable. All you have to do is remove your Ipod and headphones before washing. The technology itself is washable.
As of December 11th, 2006, no pictures of the new jeans have been released.
Will the average IPOD owner rush out and buy them? Levi Strauss is hoping. Yet, the cost of $200 a pair, may be a deterrent for some buyers, or at least keep down the number they buy.
If you can’t afford the high price jeans, you could instead dress your Ipodup in denim. Many companies like Fabrix are manufacturing cases for Ipod’s made out of denim. But of course, the company Levi Strauss hopes you help build the newest fad and it help cause everyone to want their own pair of ‘connected jeans. .
Anyway, once again the name Strauss is going to be written in history. For this may be the first time that fashion and technology is coming together.
