Oh yes, Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPod is nothing if not sexy these days. Don't be surprised if, in the near future, you see more and more corporate suitors become absolutely lovelorn and desperate to get their names somehow hooked up with the iPod. Case in point: Levi Strauss, the privately held and venerable jeans maker (which was newsworthy several years ago as it struggled with sales), plans a line of denim designed with iPod use in mind.
Any iPod fanatic who feels the need to have these jeans yesterday needs to know that the product, called RedWire DLX, will retail for $200 and won't have widespread availability until the fall. The jeans will be tricked out with a remote control and a docking station, and even include headphones. In case you were wondering, Levi's didn't release any pictures, nor did it let us know exactly what the washing instructions are going to be (which seems like quite a mystery).
To take the idea seriously, let's just say that the jeans do attract iPod junkies -- and ignite new interest in the old-school Levi's brand with young people and denim connoisseurs. That could spell trouble for Gap (NYSE:GPS). Despite its protracted phase as a fashion faux pas, Gap has always been known as a good bet for reasonably priced denim.
Really, though, considering the price tag expected for the RedWire jeans, Levi's is targeting the premium denim market, though the company's almost certainly hoping for a "halo effect" for its lower-priced jeans as well. Lots of companies that charge quite a pretty penny for designer dungarees -- stores like Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) and Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) -- sell pricey denim, along with plenty of popular upscale brands like Diesel, Liz Claiborne's (NYSE:LIZ) Juicy Couture, 7 for All Mankind, Citizens of Humanity, and True Religion (NASDAQ:TRLG).
Honestly, while I do take the iPod phenomenon -- and the accessories industry that has sprung up around it -- deadly serious, somehow I can't imagine that the iPod's sex appeal will rub off on Levi's. But as much as my gut instinct tells me that iPod jeans may be just a tad ridiculous, given the craze at hand, is it just crazy enough to work?
For more on iPod mania, check out the following articles from the Fool's playlist:
- Longtime Fool Rick Munarriz explores whether the iPod kids aren't alright.
- Amazon and Apple were under the mistletoe during the holidays.
- Some people like to dress up their iPods.
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Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned. She has many iPod-related accessories, but she doesn't believe Levi's RedWire jeans will be among them.
