Gass is slated to take the CEO spot in about a year, and appears to be building her team already.
“With Kenny onboard, I have full confidence in our ability to continue earning our place at the center of culture and building our global community of Levi’s fans,” she said in a statement.
The denim brand is celebrating milestone anniversaries this year, the 170th since its founding and the 150th of its iconic 501 jeans. The company has leveraged its longevity and place in American culture in its marketing campaigns for decades. Inclusivity has been a key message almost from the beginning — the two-horse image on its signature leather patches was designed in the Wild West era to communicate to people of all languages, including those who couldn’t read or write.
