Levi launches new jeans brand for China's youth

SHANGHAI - Jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. launched a new global brand in China this week, joining a growing list of companies that hope to crack the fast-growing and youthful market by tailoring their products to Chinese tastes.

Models at the launch were wearing sneakers, boots and high-heeled sandals - not a cowboy hat. The new brand is aimed at young consumers in emerging markets, starting with China, Singapore and South Korea.

From Nissan sedans to watches and Hermes luxury goods, global companies increasingly are designing products and brands with the Chinese market in mind as incomes rise amid rapid economic growth.

The newest incarnation of Levi's will aim at a broader segment of Chinese consumers than traditional Levi's, which sell for more than $100 in upscale Shanghai malls.

"In the last few years we have seen a new group of consumers," said Aaron Boey, president for Levi Strauss' Asia-Pacific division.

"Many of them want stylish clothes but at accessible prices," he said. Levi is calling the new brand dENiZEN The jeans will sell for the equivalent of $40 to $60.

The company, which also sells Dockers pants and Signature brand products, is honing its focus on China's emerging middle class - a popular strategy in the recession-stricken age of less-is-more in more mature Western markets.