In 1872 Levi Strauss and Nevada tailor Jacob Davis perfected the process of adding copper rivets to pants pockets. Since then, the business of selling blue jeans has changed radically. From in-store videocam periscopes to kiosks that take biometric data — personal information, body measurements, fingerprints — for marketing, Levi Strauss & Co. has embraced new technologies. The renovation of its showroom offices in New York City is no different. Design firms Studios Architecture and Ercolino Productions created a state-of-the-art space where buyers preview the latest fashions in three open-area theaters and 16 showrooms. To implement the A/V portion of the design the architects chose the New York division of Electrosonic.

The space was designed to be open, so Electrosonic had to solve privacy and sound isolation problems. To address the privacy issues, Electrosonic installed a Bogen PCM multi-zone sound masking system with integrated zone paging. Instead of trying to work against the sound isolation problems, the Electrosonic team decided to exploit the sound by adding three open-air theaters in addition to a larger fashion show zone. When used together the rooms will generate many kilowatts of sound power. For projection surfaces, Electrosonic installed two flat, matte white walls. Levi's can then change the look and feel of the walls when not in use as projection surfaces. A Draper rear-projection screen was chosen for the third display area in that section. A Sanyo PCL XF30 is used to project the images during the choreographed presentations.

The technology in the 16 showrooms is understated, but the rooms are equipped for quick set up of large plasma display for either a local video feed or one patched through from the central control room, where off-air cable and satellite feeds are available, as well as DVD, multi-channel videoserver and multi-channel audio playback. Electrosonic was directed to use a 4:3 aspect ratio, so the team chose Hitachi CMP 307XU plasma monitors.

When exiting the elevators, buyers pass by a programmed multi-monitor display — a mix of Hitachi CMP 307XU plasmas and NEC LCD screens — that ring the hallway. Buyers may be treated to a custom presentation geared especially to them, with a mix of news, ticker, or Levi's commercials, which are controlled from company headquarters in San Francisco by the six-channel FRED Millennium system that runs the programs. Both content and schedules can be updated remotely, but NY staff retain local override of text messages that can be updated and displayed as required.