Levi Strauss & Co. is looking to get Indian consumers to spend more across their wardrobes, expanding beyond its core jeans business into women’s apparel, non-denim and premium products, said Hiren Gor, managing director and senior vice president for South Asia, Middle East and Africa.
When the California-based denim maker entered India in 1995, jeans were still a nascent category. Three decades later, consumer spending on jeans in India is estimated at ₹32,900 crore in 2025, according to Euromonitor.
Levi’s is now looking to expand its business, with women’s apparel, non-denim, and premium products emerging as fast-growing categories. The women’s business in India is growing at a high-double-digit rate year-on-year, while denim and non-denim are growing at mid-double-digit rates, according to the company.
Levi Strauss India’s revenue rose 20.6% to ₹2,223.4 crore in FY25, from ₹1,843.7 crore a year earlier, while net profit increased 26.9% to ₹202.3 crore from ₹159.4 crore.
More than one top is sold for every bottom in India, compared with a global ratio of one top for every three bottoms, according to the company, indicating headroom in categories beyond jeans.
“Women’s business is growing much faster… Non-denim is growing faster. And premium, including Red Loop, is going extremely strong,” Gor told Mint
Red Loop, Levi’s India-specific premium casual-lifestyle extension, accounts for about 15% of the business.
Levi’s is extending its wardrobe further into linen, tops and non-denim bottoms. “The natural extension of denim bottoms is obviously non-denim bottoms,” Gor said. “With the whole trend of expanding the wardrobe beyond denim, for different usage occasions, with versatility of fabrics, I think non-denim plays that part very well.”
The expansion comes as Levi’s competes in a growing jeans market that includes established brands such as Pepe Jeans, Wrangler and Flying Machine, as well as newer digital-first players such as Snitch and Freakins.
“Denim continues to grow with us,” Gor said, pointing to “heavy movements towards blues and baggy fits” and growing consumption of more premium denim with better fabrications and textures.
He said Indian consumers are showing “structural upward mobility” and are “seeking better products, better quality and service.”
“There are product categories which are waiting to explore. There’s a huge headroom for both in men’s tops, in non-denim, in premium products,” Gor said.
The company is also changing its physical retail strategy. It is concentrating on larger Icon stores of more than 5,000 sq ft in key catchments, with wider assortments across genders, fits and categories and a stronger focus on the shopping experience.
Levi’s has reached the 500-store mark in India, with about a fifth of its direct-to-consumer revenue coming from Icon stores, according to the company.
The company's broader bet comes after a tumultuous first half for India’s consumer economy, with the West Asia conflict driving up fuel, freight and input costs and prompting consumers to tighten their purse strings. For apparel companies, the squeeze has come from both ends: higher costs on one side and the risk of weaker discretionary spending on the other.
