HERITAGE

Established in Spain in 1962, Lois Jeans was the first European fashion jeans brand to conquer the world. Ambitious founders; Manuel and Joaquin Sáez Merino devoted their lives to building a brand that would be celebrated for its signature fit and style all over the world.

Their vision on the perfect balance between comfort and style turned Lois into a huge success all throughout the 70’s and 80’s. Contrary to the other great jeans brands of that time, Lois brought something new; a sexy and fashionable pair of jeans. Back then, jeans were often associated with work- wear, cowboys and comfort. Now, they were made for dancing in and fashion icons and musicians such as Rod Stewart and ABBA soon recognised that Lois was their perfect fit. Needless to say, many others followed.

“Lois brought something new; a sexy & fashionable pair of jeans.”

“Get up and dance!”

Lois has always been drawn to the world of music. When Pinkpop (the first music festival in the south of the Netherlands) kicked off in 1970, Lois decided to sponsor the event. When the focus shifted to international musicians, the pop festival became a huge success, and soon it was sold out every year. Lois continued to sponsor the event for several years and, to this day, remains a huge fan of fun, free spirited and loving festival vibes. Music connects.

Lois saw something in ABBA before the big public did. They started to sponsor ABBA in 1974, the day before they won the Eurovision Song Contest. Lois was there for their big break, as well as during the immediate success that followed after. This sponsorship was marked as one of the first celebrity endorsements of that time.

“The Yoko.”

The 1960s and ‘70s were a transformative time for women and work. During these significant changes Lois released their ‘Yoko’ fit, exclusively designed for women. This fitted and waist flattering flare was a first step towards revolutionising women’s jeans forever.

Throughout history Lois has been famous for its iconic and fun commercials together with famous brand ambassadors.

In the beginning of the 80’s the disco look also made its appearance. Garments mostly featured glitter, gold, silver neon colors and glitter. It was made so that you could move well in them. The disco fever of Lois was inspired by the 80’s when Lois ruled the dance floor. Whereas pants were predominantly tight, jerseys were actually worn a few sizes too big. Jane Fonda introduced aerobics and all women were under the spell of moving legs, and so spandex and colorful cycling shorts made their appearance.
Lois also sponsored Mark Thatcher who went missing for six days in the Sahara whilst driving a Peugeot 504 in the 1982, Paris-Dakar Rally.

Björn Borg

Rod Stewart 

Blondie

In the 90s, Lois continued the strategy of partnering with musicians and celebrities. Collaborations were also done with larger projects such as film productions. 

The casual chic dress code emerged in the late 1990s, and garments that fell under it were mainly jeans with a slight “wash”, shirts with spaghetti straps, belly shirts and athletic wear. During this period, denim was incredibly popular in Europe, and many clothing manufacturers capitalized on this growing trend.

In this period of time, more and more companies discovered low-cost manufacturing in Asia but Lois stayed true to their family heritage by keeping production in Spain. 

‘‘Turning point’’

Even though Lois was a first and favourite of many, the brand sadly did not survive the inevitable crisis of the 90’s. While other brands out-sourced their production to factories in China and Bangladesh, Lois stayed true to their vision of Spanish production and craftsmanship. This made it impossible for them to compete with the lowering prices of the market and they were forced to take a step back.

‘‘Spanish Artistry & Dutch Imagination.’’

Introducing Los Hermanos Azules

After a few unsuccessful attempts to turn the brand around it was Los Hermanos Azules, a Dutch partnership, who knew how to put Lois back on the map. It did not just take vision and financial resources, more importantly it took a deep understanding of and respect and love for the essence and history of the brand. In 2015, Lois was reintroduced. This time with a familiar story but a new, refreshed look.

Family is an important pillar within Lois. It is a privilege to still be working with the family that is responsible for the success of the past. Knowledge has been passed on from generation to generation and we feel honoured to carry on this legacy together.
The people who work for Lois are more than employees, they are members of the family and even though they might not be related by blood, they are bound by the magic and warmth within Lois.