Levi Strauss Co. Story—
From Jeans to Riches
Soviet Court Sentences 3 Men for War Crimes. Nazi Collaboration
Soviet authorities have tzen1leged Nazi collaborators
MOSCOW—Pravda reports that
the Supreme Court of Estonia has tracking down and executing al the end of World War IL
ordered the execution of Herman
Sikk for alleged war crimes dur- THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
ing the Nazi occupation of the __
Baltic Republic in World War II.
since
Friday, August 11, 1972-11
NEW CADILLAC?
Gold is where you find it, writes 1 In the next decade, Strauss put
Milton Moskowitz in the New copper rivets on his jeans to re- Two other men were sentenced,
each receiving 15-year terms in
SEE OR CALL
York Times, and Levi Strauss, a ', inforce the pockets, thus estab- -labor eaorps, the paper said.
Bavarian immigrant, who came i lisping 'anothef'•company 'symbol.
All three, Pravda reports, were
to San Francisco to join the Cali- As the company grew, Strauss members of Nazi punitive detach-
fornia Gold Rush in 1850, found' expanded to other products such ments which rounded up and exe-
it in pants, and not in 'them thar as socks, towels and underwear. cuted Estonian partisans and Com-
WILSON CRISSMAN CADILLAC
hills.' • By 1946, the annual volume had munists. The paper said that Sikk
RES. 642-6836
CALL BUS. MI 4-1930
The gold is found in Levi Strauss , reached 88,000.000 million. Later, "personally participated in a mass
1350 N. WOODWARD, BIRMINGHAM
and Co., makers of one of the best- llaas decided to disband that as- execution of Estonians who re-
known and popular pairs of jeans p e c t o f th e manu fac turing and fused to serve in Hitler's army."
in the country—if not the world. make only jeans. In effect, he
In the fiscal year that ended last was eliminating half of the com-
Nov. 30, the San Francisco based pany's business. Yet, the com-
clothing manufacturer had sales pany sales have jumped nine-fold
of U05,000,000 and earnings of times in the past 12 years and
$19,000,000. The company has done includes about $90,000,000 in in-
even better in the first half of ternational volume, and today the
company has re-expanded with
the current fiscal year.
The reasons for the current the production and sale of sports-
growth was explained by Walter wear, boys' and women's wear
A. Haas. "We happen to repre- and now belts.
sent a life style that is being
Leadership of the company has
adopted by a growing part of the remained in the family since its
world."
inception. Strauss died a bachelor
That life style, which sym-
in L902 at age 72, but left the
bolizes informality and casual-
company to four nephews, the
ness, began on the college cam-
sons of his only sister. One of
puses in the late 50s. Levi
them held the reins until he was
Strauss' strongest overseas mar-
succeeded by a son-in-la•. Walter
ket today is Amsterdam, the in-
A. Haas. Currently, both of the
ternational meeting ground for
top officers, Walter J. and Peter
the young.
E., are sons of Mr. Haas.
The most famous pair of pants,
Levi Strauss Co. has main.
the blue jeans, have been adopted
by many as a symbol of free- tained its social commitment.
dom, social consciousness and The Bay Area is honeycombed
with cultural contributions from
political action. The revolutionary
the company's founding mem-
Weatherman, an offshoot of Stu-
bers. It was one of the first
dents for a Democratic Society,
companies
to be an equal op-
stressed that its members wore
portunity employer and it now
jeans for defiance and durability.
earmarks 3 per cent of its net
Charles Mich, author of "The
income to social responsibility
Greening of America," saw the
programs.
jeans as "a declaration of sen-
suality. not sensuality-for-display
But the company has been un- '
as in Madison Avenue style but der fire for manning virtual sweat
sensuality as part of the natural shops, a charge that Haas re-
, sponded to by admitting the
in man."
favor the tight-fitting , charge. ''It is a low-wage Indus-
Others
Jeans, for men as well as women, ' try. We try to counter it by pro-
for purely its sex appeal. viding excellent working condi-
Strauss stitched his first pair1 lions, year-round employment and
of pants 122 years ago. Arriving the best fringe benefits."
. and we don't need clearance sales either'
in San Francisco with a roll of
We don't need it
heavy tent canvas from his broth-I One company executive. sizing
up One future of the Levi Strauss
er's clothing store in New York,
Our year 'round prices are actually lower than so-called sale prices
made a pair of pants for a Co. said, "We're the Genera 1
he
miner who complained that his Motors of the apparel industry.
trousers wore out too quickly. I Wherever the pants market goes,
. . and we have no - sale merchandise" to get rid of
The miner was so pleased I Levi Strauss is going to be there
ANDY BLAU
in BIRMINGHAM at
What's An This
SALES
TACK!
. with his new pants that he went in a major way.
around San Francisco boasting 1 ''Besides there's no way we're
about his pants "of Levis," a 1 going to turn away from the cas-
phrase that created a brand ual way of life. Just consider the
name. , implications of the four-day week."
U.S. Tax Reform Bill Is Revised;
Overseas Gift Restrictions Lifted
WASHINGTON (JTA1 — Pro- to be deductible from federal in-' ,
taxes when they exceeded i
posed federal tax reforms which ' come
would have drastically affected • 3 per cent of the taxpayer's'
1
charitable contributions and be-1 adjusted gross income but "rou-
to institu- 'tine contributions to churches and
guests by Americans
lions abroad, including those in other charities. would not be de-
Medical costs below '
Israel, have been dropped from doctible. -
per cent of the taxpeyar's
legislation prepared for considers - 3
tion in both the House and Seri- _tress income are not deductible .
:
under present federal tax laws.
ate.
' ,
i
1 lie other section Rep. Corman
Sen. Gaylord Nelson ( D. W . s.
and Rep. James Corman (D. has 0 indrawn related to char-
i
t'alif. ) have trimmed their exten- tal)e contributions - in the case
sive reform proposals so that they . of estate tax. - w hick had provided
deductible
,
are s irtualt - .. identical in stub dole- ;oat sld b a bequest be
for real e - datc tax parease• met.
used precti minanth.
Rep. Corrnan said he had de - if it k 1., be
or 1m hos
lcard a section of his Ind which ,,„ tisa-, bn, united states
i s se turn said tIla!
c a iled for a - floor o n c haritable sessions th
would have 1.•,,,,i, present law. a citizen of
contrbuttons. - 'Ibis
give 1,,
perrulted - extraordmary amounts' the I'mted Mates can
entire estate to a church located
in alermany or la an orphanage
in Israel and no federal estate
tas will be imposed on his estate."
Nelson . - Mil V, hich is be-
„ ,,„• Senate FIII:111, I ',,,11:1„t
American
R esearch
EducationCancer
Society
Service
because our clothing moves faster than we can put it on the rack!
How do we do it? We have an unspoken understanding with
our customers1 they go without tailoring service. without delivery.
without credit privileges. without fancy atmosphere
In return we provide them with try-on rooms,. give them a list of
tailors who will make alterations reasonably. and of course. offer
them a huge selection of the very latest style knit
suits. sports coats. slacks. and other
Nationally
Advertised
MEN'S CLOTHING
at SNINGS of 40%
You Get The Most
u
Cloth no D
WALKER'S
27319 SOUTHFIELD RD..