As with most of the world, I looked at Levi's as synonomous with "blue jeans" or "jeans".  For me, they were always blue, always "rigid" and always "right".  I did not have to worry whether the material on the 501 was heavy duty, it always was.  I didn't have to know that a 501 is "classic fit" (which I purchase) verus "straight" (which falls off my swelling belly.  Now, however, I need to figure out what jeans fit, what color "snap pop" or "clean fume" is.  Does the Levi Strauss company have a marketing/market research department?  If so, I suggest firing them, hiring back your old advertising agency, make your jeans (yes, re-install the meaning behind the word "jeans")the same, dependable way they were classically made.  Remember the lessons learned with "new Coke", messing with an icon isn't wise.

Otherwise, split off a Levi Strauss Classic and just make 501 jeans in the US by traditional, classic standards.

PCN