Sunset Strip October 2006 -
Dittos meets Calvin Klein?
Before Dittos made a splash in the early 1970s, Levi's owned the market. In those days, it was 501s or something not jeans. That changed with the advent of candy colors and the saddle stitch. Women loved the new choice of colors and the new fit, and men loved the new fit and the new choice of colors. Nowadays, folks choose to wear blue almost exclusively, but like the billboard at the left shows, some companies see a market for candy colors and hope to exploit it. More power to them.
1978-79 Calvin Klein ad
Dittos' popularity showed that a market existed that needed attention, and for most of the 1970s that brand reigned as the only true alternative to Levi's. Other brands existed, of course, but they competed on price rather than image. Since clothes are mostly about image, those brands failed to grow their popularity. It took Calvin Klein to show that image equaled success. He also showed that sex appeal provided the most successful image. When his ads first appeared, they caused a huge stir and prompted many debates. Now companies like Joe's Jeans seek to do the same as a matter of policy.