Levi’s marked the tenth anniversary of their Eureka Innovation Lab’s relocation from Turkey to San Francisco.
Chip Bergh, the company’s then-new CEO, placed the R&D facility closer to its headquarters in 2013, believing that innovation would be the key to success.
The Eureka Lab developed water-saving finishing techniques in 2011, and the Screened Chemistry program was introduced in 2014. Both techniques were open-sourced and disseminated throughout the industry.
According to the firm, Eureka assisted in the development of Levi’s women’s denim line in 2015, decreasing the number of master designs from 65 to 30, saving money and enabling a more agile reaction to trends.
Project FLX, an operational model that digitizes design files and automates aspects of the jeans finishing process, including working with lasers, was introduced in 2018.
“Our most radical endeavors are the result of a team that is willing to think unconventionally and take risks,” said Bart Sights, VP of technological innovation at LS&Co. “Change happens when you can back up big ideas with technological capabilities.”
