Talk about fashion with a long lead time: Today, May 20, marks the 141st birthday of the Levi's 501 jean. As CEO Chip Bergh remarked at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference in Laguna Niguel, Calif., "We are the ultimate in sustainable apparel. If you buy [our jeans] they will last a lot longer than most people's waistlines will." Levi's are also, Bergh said, the No. 1 brand in secondhand apparel stores.
今天我们来说说一个具有悠久历史的时装品牌：5月20日是李维斯(Levi's )501牛仔裤的141岁生日。在《财富》杂志(Fortune)于加州拉古纳尼古尔主办的绿色头脑风暴大会(Brainstorm Green)上，李维斯CEO奇普·伯格表示，“我们把可持续服装做到了极致。如果你购买我们的牛仔裤，它们的使用寿命将比大多数人的腰围长得多。”伯格说，李维斯也是二手服装店的头号品牌。
At a time when throwaway, or "fast" fashion remains dominant, Levi Strauss & Co. is something of an anomaly. Not only are its clothes known for their durability and longevity, but the company is far ahead of the sustainability curve, especially for an apparel company.
在这个一次性或“快速”时装依然占主导地位的时代，李维斯公司(Levi Strauss & Co)多少有点另类。它的服装不仅以耐用性和长寿著称，而且这家公司也远远领先于可持续发展曲线，尤其是对于一个服装公司而言。
One of the most innovative ideas Bergh discussed was part of the company's Wellthread initiative, a small Dockers collection that is, in his words, "sustainable in every facet of the word," which means both economically and socially sustainable. Not only are the clothes much greener -- made with much less energy and water out of fabrics that are easier to recycle -- but they are manufactured in plants where workers' well-being is measured and meets high standards. For now, it's just an experiment, and a "premium-priced" one at that, available in Europe (and online in the U.S.), but Bergh says he is "encouraged" by early results.
伯格讨论的最有创意的想法之一是Dockers品牌旗下的一个小时装系列，它是该公司Wellthread行动的组成部分。用他的话说，“这个单词的每一面都是可持续的，”意味着经济和社会发展的可持续性。这款服装不仅更加环保（面料更易于回收，耗费的能源和水也比过去少得多），而且它的加工工厂按照高标准来衡量工人们的福利。就目前而言，它只是一个实验，这款“高价”产品已在欧洲门店上市（美国消费者需要在网上购买），但伯格说，早期的销售成绩“让他备受鼓舞”。
Bergh also had some surprising things to say about how to reduce water use in his business. Only half of water usage happens in the jean production process, which means that the other half happens at home, when the customer washes his jeans repeatedly in order to end up with the right color and fit. Levi's is producing a line of products called "Waterless," which you can request in stores.
此外，谈到该公司如何减少水消耗时，伯格也说了一些令人惊讶的事情。牛仔裤的生产用水只占用水量的一半，这意味着另一半是在家中消耗的——为了保证裤子颜色正，更加合身，顾客反复地洗他的牛仔裤。李维斯正在生产一款名为“无水”(Waterless)的系列产品，消费者现在可以在门店订购。
And if you want to do your part for sustainability, Bergh has another idea: Stop washing your jeans. "These jeans have yet to see a washing machine," he said of the dark blue pair he wore onstage, which he's owned for an entire year. "I have yet to get a skin disease." Still, one has to hope those jeans will be washed before they celebrate their second birthday -- let alone their 141st.
如果你想为可持续发展尽一份力，伯格提出了另一个建议：别洗牛仔裤。“这条牛仔裤还没有见过洗衣机呢，”他说的是自己身上那条已经穿了一年的深蓝色牛仔裤。“我并没有患上皮肤病。”尽管如此，人们还是希望在这条牛仔裤庆祝它的第二个生日（更不用说第141个生日）之前，奇普·伯格最好能把它洗一洗。