Levi's appoints Deepika Padukone as global brand ambassador

Padukone is the first female celebrity to become the face of the brand in India. She will be seen spearheading the new campaign focused on a new range of fashion fits from Levi’s.

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“She is not only a style icon but also an inspiration to the youth and women globally. With her on-board, we are confident of strengthening the brand further especially when we are strongly focusing on leading the women’s category," said Sanjeev Mohanty, managing director- South Asia & MENA - Levi’s.

The iconic American denim brand, which entered India 25 years ago, has been impacted by covid-19 pandemic owing to extended lockdowns and inventory disruptions. In its global financial results of the fourth-quarter and fiscal year ended 29 November, 2020, the company clearly stated that in the Asia region the most significant market impact was a $18 million reported decline in India. The impacts of covid-19 to shopper traffic remained severe in India, despite most stores being open during the fourth quarter.

However, the company said it is increasing its investment and focus on Asia, where the Levi’s brand has high brand awareness and significant opportunity to accelerate sales growth.

For the financial year ended March 2020, Levi's India posted a revenue of ₹1,122.57 crore, registering a nominal 1.6% jump from the last fiscal of ₹1,104.38 crore. Profit after tax (PAT), though, declined during the same period to ₹28.4 crore from ₹50.3 crore.

Levi's attributed this growth to multiple factors including growth in women's denim category, profitable store network, and improved direct-to-consumer business.