Dad jeans: David Bergen and denims for working men

David Bergen is the former Senior Vice President and Global CIO of Levi Strauss & Co. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems degree from the University of Nevada and is currently the Managing Director of the global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal.

David Bergen Image Credit: inorderforlife.wordpress.com

Fashion seems to cater favorably to women. Magazines offer hundreds of suggestions for a lady’s seasonal wardrobe. Runways feature more than twice as many designs for the female form as they do men. Retail outlets have created a woman-specific jean cut known commonly as "mom jeans." Men, on the other hand, receive no special mention.


David Bergen was responsible for redesigning Levi Strauss & Co.’s supply chain and deploying new distribution channels that efficiently supported customers like Target and Walmart.

David Bergen Image Credit: jeans-direct.com

Men’s fashion seems to conform to a tradition. They are expected to wear pants and shirts, varying only in fit – tight or baggy – and in color trend. Recently, however, clothes makers have began to shift the retail spotlight to the untapped market of men. In the last few years, masculine equivalents of products that were deemed solely for female use have found their way into the shelves, including men’s vanity and hygiene products. Where department stores sold mom jeans, they now sell the dad equivalent.

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Famed actor Ryan Gosling is often quoted in his role as Jacob Palmer, the dating guru in the hit romantic comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011). In the film, Palmer recites the mantra, "Be better than The Gap." Jeans can and have been made to cater to and flatter the male form. They can be worn with office tops to a regular work day, or on the corporate “casual Friday.” Despite traditional usage, jeans are no longer solely for casual wear.

To read more about David Bergen, visit this website.

David Bergen: Global brands, earth crammed in a pair of jeans

The perils of being a global jeans brand are first world pains. First of all, being a global brand is precisely the non-problem information officers of global brands, like David Bergen, would love to handle. More so in fashion retail, where success in the flagship country is indubitably success in the knockoffs sector. This could only signify brand recognition anywhere in the world, including peasant-capitalist hybrid economy Mongolia, and the 3-for-200-baht-jeans of Bangkok side streets.

David Bergen Levi Strauss. Image credit: Housebeautiful.com

The biggest worry in expanding is banalization. The jeans industry is as susceptible as fast food chains to cloyed markets, and the former doesn’t even benefit from addictive food seasoning. But if product dispersal reaches as far as developing countries, advertising budgets are necessarily lower, and sales are rattled off simply by word of mouth.

David Bergen Levi Strauss. Image credit: Inorderforlife.wordpress.com

If Levi’s arrived in the shores of, say, the Philippines, it wouldn’t need evangelizing missions like the islands’ Spanish conquistadores did in the 16th century. David Bergen and his ilk only ever need to cut ribbons on branch opening day with the help of a local VIP or two. Globalization dictates that a brand name touches base before the product ever does, and with the advent of social media, Kim Kardashian tweeting a photo of herself wearing the product is a better and faster proposition.

David Bergen Levi Strauss. Image credit: Deviceone.eu

Back to banalization: there isn’t much by way of curtailing imitations and market saturation. Fortunately, jeans are starting to resemble a Veblen good, again, thanks to Kim Kardashian and peerless trends. An original pair of Levi’s, despite and because of the price, fetches more demand from the target market than a Chinese factory imitation.

David Bergen is former information chief of Levi Strauss. Read more about the jeans industry on this Facebook page.

David Bergen: The scars of sandblasting

Information officers for top brands like David Bergen, formerly of Levi Strauss, would know how bad corporate practices generate toxic publicity. In a related vein, the denim industry is realizing the drawbacks of hazardous methods as value-adding measures to jeans.

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: veritydenim.wordpress.com

Sandblasting does not ring a standard-issue idea of exploitative labor practices, but it reportedly does its dark work. The process is quite singular and disproportionate to its frivolous purpose: making jeans look more bespoke as they age. Global brands like Levi Strauss, H&M, New Look, and Marks & Spencer have condemned the practice, even banning it from their production. These stakeholders have since decried other jeans’ producers’ failure to follow suit.

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: tumblr.com

Sandblasting exposes workers to silica dust derived from sand, causing severe respiratory ailments. Jeans prepped with this method have been thereafter known as “killer jeans.”

David Bergen was part of Levi Strauss & Co. at a time it had established its lead in the industry. In 2010, the pioneering jeans company issued a strong, unequivocal message on sandblasting: No.

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: greencupboards.com

Initially, as sandblasting was gaining an insidious global reputation as a health hazard to jeans workers, the plan was merely to intensify safety practices and health programs. However, Levi Strauss Chief Supply Chain Officer David Love pronounced the practice wholly untenable, and the company most averse to the smallest risks that sandblasting may inflict upon its employees.

Go to this David Bergen Facebook page for an insider’s look at the business of making jeans.

David Bergen and the oldest pair of Levi Strauss jeans in the world

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: deviceone.eu

David Bergen has fronted famous jeans brand Levi Strauss as its Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President. His experience with the brand derives his ideas on the link between the information age and connecting with trends in the millennium.

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: Tuesdaysinsunnypore.files.wordpress.com

As timeless clothing pieces go, Levi Strauss jeans have been considered one of the most durable, spanning generations of patronage. True, the brand may have fizzled in presence in the new millennium outbreak of high street alternatives, but by then it has already established itself as a household name. Revivalist trends have seen today’s 20-somethings borrowing their parents’ Levi Strauss bell-bottom denims.

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: luxurylaunches.com

Last year, the oldest pair of Levi’s was unveiled during Paris fashion week looking like most of the distressed jeans en vogue these days. David Bergen’s years of ushering Levi Strauss towards wider markets were marked by fleeting and classic designs, but some pieces managed to retain their relevance after some years. It also has to do with the brand’s control of its marketing campaigns—of pinging back to the retro in good time.

The said pair, which looked like sandblasted, rugged sophistication, was bought back by the company over eBay for a whopping $46,532. Slightly browned by age, the pair also carries the faded streaks of today’s expensive jeans. The chalked-up look has been undyingly popular among celebrities and socialites.

For more of David Bergen’s time as CIO of Levi Strauss, visit this Twitter page.

Fishboat sails and fashion craze: David Bergen of Levi Strauss on the history of jeans

David Bergen, having worked as the chief information officer and senior vice president of Levi Strauss, is aware of the popularity of jeans today. The timeless blue pants, however, were not always as esteemed as they are now. From ship sails to fashion classics, this post takes a look at the history of jeans.

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: gorrie.com

The word “jean” came from Genoa, Italy, and pertained to a heavyweight fabric made in the area and worn by its sailors. Weavers from the city of Nimes, France tried to imitate the fabric, but instead developed a different twill cloth that came to be known as denim, its name taken from “Serge de Nimes.”

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: t3.gstatic.com

It would take years before David Bergen’s former company, Levi Strauss, would be established. While Christopher Columbus was reported to have come to America in ships with denim sails, the fabric did not arrive and garner popularity until the late 18th century, when its durability made it an ideal attire for manual laborers like miners, railroad workers, and cowboys.

David Bergen Levi Strauss Image Credit: inorderforlife.wordpress.com

The prevalence of westerns and celebrity cowboys during the late 19th and early 20th centuries sealed the jeans’ role as an American symbol. The blue pants came to represent the American West, and the so-called rugged individualism that characterizes its culture.

The 1950s opened the greater public to the use of jeans, although at the time, wearing the garment was regarded as a symbol of rebellion. Growing acceptance ensured that by the 1970s, jeans were general fashion for casual wear in the U.S. During the last few decades, the popularity of jeans had gone beyond American boundaries, and the garment is now worn in almost every part of the world.

For more details about David Bergen and his work at Levi Strauss, visit this Facebook page.

David Bergen of Levi Strauss: Profiling an effective IT leader

David Bergen Photo Credit: deviceone.eu

David Bergen, former Levi Strauss & Co. global CIO and senior vice president, is a recognized IT professional and management leader currently working as a management advisory consultant at Alvarez & Marsal.

David Bergen Photo Credit: cbstrategic.us

Before joining the leading consultancy firm, he was a distinguished chief information officer at various Fortune 500 companies including Duty Free Shoppers, Esprit Holdings, and The Gap. Working at Esprit Holdings for four years, he was able to streamline its key functions by developing highly efficient technologies suited for the company’s retail management and wholesale manufacturing systems. In Duty Free Shoppers, he led a team of over 250 employees in nine countries, redesigned the company’s IT infrastructure, and developed IT platforms to simplify the maintenance and management of its technological network.

David Bergen Photo Credit: accountingcanada.wordpress.com

David Bergen from Levi Strauss proceeded to share his IT expertise at CarStation.com before working at the premier American jeans and casual wear manufacturer. The world recognized the IT professional at a time when Levi’s was in a period of difficulty and needing a crucial revamp for its corporate technology. Bergen put his expertise at work in overseeing that the company’s IT solutions supported its operations, ensuring that SAP was implemented efficiently at a global level, and expanding the company’s distribution channels that later on led to a revenue growth of $2 billion.

Adding to the impressive career of IT leader David Bergen from Levi Strauss is his work at Bay Area CIO Forum, an organization which he co-founded. The firm helps technology service providers and users maximize the efficiency of IT. View his career portfolio at www.visualcv.com.

David Bergen: Leading Levi Strauss & Co. out of the jaws of death

David Bergen, Levi Strauss & Co.’s former Global CIO, recalls the time when the jeans and casual wear manufacturer was on the verge of losing to the times as the company’s clothing brands, one of which was once considered an American icon, were steadily losing its market share to their competitors.

David Bergen. Photo credit: Deviceone.eu

Without a doubt, this was a sign that times have changed and that the clothing company had failed to adapt to answer to the demands of the new era. It might have been the first to offer blue jeans but it also failed to cater to the style of choice of the new generation in the ’90s. The clothing brand lost its customer base to either boutique brands or more affordable ones.

David Bergen. Photo credit: Collegefashion.net

According to David Bergen, Levi Strauss in that time was already caught in “the jaws of death.” However, it was not going to go down without putting up a good fight. There was still something that the company could do as it eyed a potential ally that could give its brands the boost in market attention that they needed.

What Levi Strauss was looking into at the time was selling its products through the world’s largest retailer: Wal-Mart. To succeed in this, Levi Strauss & Co. had to come up with a less expensive signature line that would still attract more affluent shoppers to Wal-Mart.

David Bergen. Photo credit: Styleandflair.com

Meanwhile, David Bergen, as Levi Strauss’ CIO at the time had to lead the redesigning of the company’s supply chain to allow it to handle the demands of mass merchandising customers. This move undoubtedly paid off as it helped enhance the company’s business revenue growth and reduced its costs structure.

For more information on his career highlights, follow David Bergen on Twitter.

David Bergen of Levi Strauss: How information technology helps the retail industry

At present, the need for information technology in businesses continues to increase. IT experts like David Bergen, former Levi Strauss & Co. Chief Information Officer, continue to develop strategies that make use of information technology to keep up with the competition in the industry.

David Bergen Photo credit: Thefastertimes.com

In the retail industry, information technology plays various roles, all of which are significant. First, IT specialists within a company develop programs that can be accessed by everyone in the supply chain. These programs include information regarding the company’s products – existing and new – and operations. Second, information technology builds connections among retail stores, vendors, and manufacturers. By having them connected, these groups are constantly updated with the changes in the market and the level of demand for products.

The impact of Information technology on retail companies is beneficial. A great example would be the turnaround in Levi Strauss & Co. As the CIO, David Bergen made Levi Strauss’ supply chain capable of handling the demands of the mass market by redesigning it. Also, he was able to improve the company’s other processes which include the management of inventory. As a result of these accomplishments, Levi’s was able to experience a significant growth in revenue.

David Bergen Photo credit: Care.org.uk

Utilizing information technology in business is a great way to increase efficiency and decrease risks because the data used in making crucial decisions are much more organized and are distributed among those involved.

David Bergen Photo credit: Media.treehugger.com

David Bergen, former Levi Strauss & Co. CIO and Senior Vice President, is currently an IT consultant at Alvarez and Marsal. To know more about his accomplishments, follow him on Twitter.

David Bergen and Levi Strauss: Values that drive business success

David Bergen Photo Credit: Blogspot.com

Levi Strauss has lived up to values that it believes have been the key to its success in the clothing industry.  David Bergen, Levi Strauss’ former Senior Vice President and Global CIO, had shared the same principles with the company during his stint therein.

The Levi Strauss values

David Bergen Photo Credit: Uncrate.com

Empathy, walking in other people’s shoes: The company pays much importance in listening and responding to the needs of its stakeholders, especially its customers and employees. It believes that empathy begins with giving close attention to what the company touts as “the world around us.”

Originality, being authentic and innovative: Levi Strauss made an excellent innovation when it produced the very first pair of blue jeans in 1873. Years after, with the help of executives like David Bergen, Levi Strauss has been able to maintain authenticity and innovation for its products, coming up with different designs that define each generation.

Integrity, doing the right thing: Levi Strauss aims not only to boost its clothing business but also to accomplish its responsibilities to the society as a whole.

Courage, standing up for what [it believes]: Throughout its years in the clothing business, the company has always made it a point to stand by its convictions and act on its beliefs.

David Bergen Photo Credit: Amazingmomsfatloss.com

David Bergen, a Levi Strauss former executive, now works as a Management Advisory Consultant at Alvarez & Marsal, advising several companies on proper IT management. More information about his career can be accessed at visualcv.com.

David Bergen: Before and after Levi Strauss & Co.

An expert in information technology, David Bergen, Levi Strauss & Co’s former Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President, brings more than three decades of professional experience to the table, having worked for global brand names such as The Gap and Esprit.

David Bergen In Order for Life

Mr. Bergen started his professional career in 1978 after earning his Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Nevada. He worked as a Project Manager and Systems Engineer at Electronic Data Systems, a company that offers electronic data processing management.

David Bergen The Amazing World of Psychiatry

After three years, Mr. Bergen moved to work for The Gap, Inc. which started his career of developing IT solutions to clothing companies. He then worked for Esprit, another big name in the industry, in its IT application services.


David Bergen’s help in Levi Strauss’ growth is perhaps the highlight of his career. For eight years, he served as the company’s CIO, developing solutions for the improvement of the company’s inventory management and delivery rate at a time when the company was negotiating deals with major retailers such as Kmart, Target, and Wal-Mart.


At present, Mr. Bergen works as a Management Advisory Consultant at Alvarez & Marsal, a San Francisco-based professional services company where he meets with Fortune 500 CIOs to teach them about strategic planning and organization, among others.

David Bergen The Faster Times

Learn more about the role of David Bergen in Levi Strauss’ development during the early 2000s by visiting www.visualcv.com.