Can Levi's Be Cool Again?

Marissa Emmer certainly recognizes that Levi Strauss is an all-American brand. But the 15-year-old high school sophomore from Setauket, N.Y., and her friends won't wear anything from Levi's. "It doesn't make styles we want," says Emmer, who prefers baggy pants from JNCO and Kikwear. "Levi's styles are too tight and for the older generation, like middle-aged people."

Ouch. This is what Philip A. Marineau, Levi Strauss & Co.'s new chief executive, is up against as he struggles to make the San Francisco apparel giant cool again. In the top job since September, the marketing veteran from PepsiCo Inc. is taking on a company whose fortunes in recent years have faded faster than a new pair of jeans. Marineau vows to get the venerable, family-owned company growing again. After three years of tumbling sales, layoffs, plant closings, and a failed effort to woo kids online, Levi's is gearing up for several product launches. "Levi's is a mythical brand, but our performance has been poor," says Marineau, 53. "We need to turn our attention back to customers and have more relevant products and marketing."