Gen Z has embraced thrifting, upcycling, and conscious consumption, helping redefine what sustainability in fashion looks like. Yet our research revealed a significant disconnect: while many young people want to make more sustainable choices, they often lack the practical skills needed to extend the life of the clothes they already own.
A 2025 study commissioned by Levi Strauss & Co. found that 41% of Gen Z lack basic clothing repair or customization skills – nearly double the rate of older generations, many of whom learned these skills at home or in school. At the same time, 35% of young people said they would keep their clothing longer if they knew how to repair it. The findings highlighted a significant opportunity: while Gen Z cares deeply about sustainability, many lack the practical skills needed to extend the life of the clothes they already own.
For a company that has spent more than 170 years designing durable clothing meant to be worn and loved for as long as possible, this represented both a challenge and a responsibility.
We created the Levi’s Wear Longer Project to help close this generational knowledge gap and empower the next generation to take fashion into their own hands. Our goals were threefold:
To address the repair-skills gap identified in our research, we built the Levi’s Wear Longer Project – a community engagement initiative that empowers young people to repair, refresh, and reimagine their clothing so it looks better and lasts longer.
To bring the program to life at scale, Levi Strauss & Co. partnered with Discovery Education to develop a free, standards-aligned curriculum that combines clothing repair skills with lessons on sustainability, creativity, and responsible consumption. Together, we created learning experiences that teach students practical skills, like sewing a button, patching a hole, repairing a tear, and altering a hem, and made them available to classrooms nationwide through Discovery Education's platform.
We intentionally designed the program to extend beyond the classroom. The Wear Longer Project combines digital learning, in-person workshops, employee volunteerism, retail activations, and community partnerships to create multiple entry points for participation. The program launched in our hometown of San Francisco with workshops at the Eureka Innovation Lab before expanding nationally. Additional activations throughout the year, including programming tied to Super Bowl LX, helped bring the message to broader audiences.
One of our most important strategic considerations was credibility. Because the initiative is led by a global apparel company, we knew it needed to be viewed as a genuine community investment rather than a marketing campaign. We addressed this by making all resources free, teaching repair skills applicable to any brand of clothing – not just Levi’s products – and focusing on extending the life of garments people already own rather than encouraging new purchases.
We also designed the program to meet young people where they already are, partnering with the Youth Art Exchange in San Francisco and Miami Music Project to bring the curriculum directly into local schools and community spaces. By working alongside educators, nonprofit leaders, and community partners, we created a community-first model rooted in authentic engagement and long-term impact.
The result is a scalable model that combines education, sustainability, creativity, and community engagement to help build a more durable relationship between young people and their clothing.
In its first six months, the Levi’s® Wear Longer Project exceeded our goals for reach, accessibility, and community engagement.
Through our partnership with Discovery Education, the program reached more than 71,000 students across 47 states in 2026, bringing free clothing repair and sustainability education into classrooms and communities nationwide. What began as a local initiative in San Francisco quickly evolved into a national platform. Demand was evident from the outset: the inaugural Wear Longer Project workshop at Levi’s Eureka Innovation Lab received more than 250 applications for just 55 available seats, validating strong interest among Gen Z in hands-on sustainability and repair education.
The program successfully translated research into action. Our initial findings revealed that 41% of Gen Z lacked basic clothing repair skills, while 35% said they would keep clothing longer if they knew how to repair it. By making repair education free, accessible, and relevant, we created a practical pathway for young people to develop skills that can help extend the life of their clothing and reduce waste. Partnering with creators including Kristin Juszczyk, Gabriella Smith, and R’Bonney Gabriel also helped build a digital community around the Wear Longer Project, bringing lessons on repair, creativity, and sustainability to their audiences.
Building on this momentum, we are expanding the Wear Longer Project to New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, and London in the second half of 2026.