SAN FRANCISCO — January 14, 2026 — Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) announced the launch of the Levi’s® Wear Longer Project, a new community engagement initiative designed to help young people take fashion into their own hands. The program will equip them with the skills and confidence to repair, refresh, and reimagine their clothes—so they look better and last longer.

Gen Z is driving the resurgence of thrifting, repurposing, and creative self-expression in fashion. Yet, many youth were never taught the skills needed to repair and customize clothing — skills once passed down through generations or taught in schools. A new survey conducted by LS&Co. in the U.S. found that 41% of Gen Z report having no basic repair knowledge, such as fixing a tear or sewing a button, which is nearly double the rate of older generations.

At the same time, 35% of young people say they would keep their clothes longer if they knew how to fix them. This highlights a meaningful opportunity to reduce clothing waste when the average American throws away 81.5 pounds of clothing each year1, which leads to more than 2,100 pounds of textile waste entering U.S. landfills every second2. Equipping young people with the skills to extend the life of their clothing reinforces LS&Co.’s efforts to use its scale, reach and platform to drive toward a more sustainable, less resource-intensive apparel industry.

The Levi’s® Wear Longer Project introduces free resources primarily aimed at students in grades 9 through 12. Developed in partnership with global edtech leader Discovery Education and aligned with national K-12 education standards, the program teaches young people hands-on life skills such as how to repair and customize their clothes, from sewing a button to patching a hole or tailoring a hem.

“At Levi Strauss & Co., we’ve spent more than 170 years designing clothes to be worn and loved for as long as possible. The Levi’s® Wear Longer Project builds on that legacy by giving young people the confidence and tools to extend the life of what they already own,” said Michelle Gass, President and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co. “By building up repair skills within the next generation and emphasizing the idea of durability, we’re helping spark a culture of creativity, sustainability, and pride in taking care of the things we value.”

Beginning with high school students, the curriculum is now available to educators and students nationwide on the free platform. LS&Co. employees will also serve as volunteer ambassadors, bringing hands-on instruction into schools and local communities. In addition, schools using Discovery Education Experience, the cross-curricular supplemental resource, can integrate Levi’s® Wear Longer Project directly into classroom instruction.

“Our partnership with Levi’s® reflects the growing demand in schools for curriculum that connects academic learning with real-world, future-ready skills. Through the Wear Longer Project, students gain hands-on experience that builds confidence, creativity, and practical life skills while deepening their understanding of complex topics such as supply chain and resource management. This initiative helps prepare students to be thoughtful, capable problem-solvers,” said Catherine Dunlop, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education.

Launching first in its hometown of San Francisco before expanding globally, the Levi’s® Wear Longer Project will educate local youth through regular opportunities to build core repair skills. The program will begin with a Wear Longer Project workshop for San Francisco high school students at the LS&Co. Eureka Lab. Additional trainings and workshops will continue throughout the year, including activations during Super Bowl weekend in San Francisco.

“Programs like Levi’s® Wear Longer Project resonate because they meet students where they are—hands-on, creative, and rooted in real life,” said Ginny Fang, President of Spark, San Francisco Public Schools. “When students can learn practical skills like repairing and caring for their clothes, they’re not only embracing sustainability, they’re gaining confidence, independence, and a sense of pride in what they can create and maintain themselves.”

As the Wear Longer Project grows, LS&Co. will scale its curriculum through community-based partners and select retail initiatives, creating more entry points for young people and employees to engage in repair education. This approach reinforces LS&Co.’s commitment to responsible consumption and encourages employees to invest in their own skills, so they can then teach others. These initiatives will build upon LS&Co.’s legacy of crafting durable, quality clothing designed to last a lifetime, empowering young people everywhere to care for, customize, and extend the life of the clothes they love. To learn more about the Wear Longer Project, please visit levistrauss.com/values-in-action/wearlongerproject.

Posted: January 25, 2026

Source Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — January 21, 2026 — Polartec®, a Milliken & Company brand renowned for pioneering more sustainable and innovative textile solutions, is proud to support the IMAQA project, an initiative led by a group of young scientists dedicated to studying the effects of climate change in extreme Arctic environments.

(Editor’s Note: IMAQA is an organization based in Belgium, active in scientific expeditions, field logistics for researchers, glaciological data collection and educational activities. Its ambition is to build bridges between exploration, science and knowledge transfer to younger generations.)

With several major missions carried out in recent years, IMAQA has established itself as an essential partner for scientific institutions wishing to collect crucial data on climate change. The team’s expeditions across Greenland and Alaska have combined scientific research with education and storytelling, highlighting how curiosity, collaboration, and care for the environment can inspire meaningful action. These same values reflect Polartec’s ethos and its long-standing commitment to environmental responsibility.

Working in one of the planet’s most remote and unpredictable regions demands absolute reliability from every piece of equipment, which is why the researchers wear garments made with high-performance Polartec® fabrics, including Polartec® Alpha™ active insulation and Polartec® Power Shield™ Pro, a non-PFAS weather protection membrane made from plant-based Biolon™* nylon.

Originally developed to offer dynamic protection in extreme environments, both fabrics are the result of Polartec’s continuous effort to reduce environmental impact. The high- performance technical fabrics also enable IMAQA’s scientists and explorers to maintain focus, comfort, and efficiency while working in difficult and dynamic environments. In fact, these same fabrics can be found in collections by outdoor brands such as 66°North, Black Diamond and many others.

“At Polartec®, innovation has always been guided by the belief that performance and responsibility can and should coexist,” Alessandro Perseo, Marketing Director Polartec,. “Supporting IMAQA was a natural continuation of a broader commitment to help people pursue their goals in harmony with the planet. Every Polartec® fabric is created with the same attention to comfort, endurance, and sustainability that defines the brand’s work across generations.”

Polartec’s drive to merge technical excellence with environmental responsibility is reflected in the company’s support for initiatives of this kind. Through partnerships like IMAQA, Polartec® continues to invest in the future. Its support of projects that empower young people and advance scientific understanding demonstrates how responsible materials combined with people-centric values can contribute to positive change.

* Biolon™ is a trademark of Milliken & Company.

** 20k mm water resistance (ISO 811)/20k g/m²/24hrs breathability (JIS L1099, B1).

*** The Biolon™ nylon plant-based content within Power Shield™ Pro reduces reliance on fossil fuels and lowers carbon footprint by up to 50% compared with virgin Nylon-6,6.

Posted: January 24, 2026

Source: Polartec®, a Milliken & Company brand