The Levi's Thing on Valencia: Not As Shill-y as You Think
So, the new Levi's pop-up thing (they're reluctant to call it a 'store,' and it's kind of not) in the former Slanted Door location on Valencia Street between 16th and 17th, is an interesting phenomenon. While on the one hand, cynics may want to see it as a simple branding exercise, it appears to be more than that, and presents an example of a retailer trying to do something creative and altruistic for an urban community, while still selling a few pairs of jeans.
This Levi's Workshop is the first of its kind, and naturally kicks off in the city the company has called home for over 125 years. The theme for this one is printmaking, and the second Workshop, which will happen in New York in the fall, will center on photography. The Valencia space will be home to this Workshop through the end of August.
The set-up is basically a working print shop, with antique letterpress equipment, a photocopy machine, some computer work stations, and silkscreen equipment, all of which are available for use by the public on Sundays. During the week, the equipment will be in use by various organizations, local vendors, and community groups working on pre-planned projects, and the stuff will also be incorporated with different events, including a launch party for First Person Magazine's fourth issue on July 17th, a talk and design exhibit with Craig Newmark on July 24th, and a silkscreening workshop on August 5th with inspired by the imagery of artist Sister Corita.
The public is encouraged to bring in projects of their own, like a silkscreen pattern for a t-shirt (go talk to the people at Flax and get yourself some frosted Mylar to draw on first). Also, there's a table full of fun rubber stamps to play with, and some jeans and a special edition denim printer's apron for sale. See the full schedule of events here.
As independent curator and project manager Adam Katz told SFist, "It's kind of an example of how brands can become patrons, supporting and introducing artists and vendors who maybe no one has heard of, but most of whom operate within a few blocks of the space." See a couple of our photos of the place.