Christian Parkes
Illustration by Ian Kim
How do we tell the stories of the people? This is what Christian Parkes, now Global Senior Director of Marketing, asked himself when he joined Levi's a year ago and was tasked with running the brand's Braddock, Pennsylvania, project. The campaign featured iconic ads showing hardworking, denim-clad locals, and inventive municipal investment -- Levi's poured more than $1 million into civic projects such as an urban farm and a new community center. Parkes's latest effort aims to involve consumers beyond buying jeans through a Levi's Facebook app that promotes the company's waterless denim collection with a game. Users who meet challenges "unlock" monetary donations to a water-conservation charity that Levi's has deposited in escrow. "We're empowering you to create the change," Parkes says.
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Christian Parkes commissioned this illustration of his own creative process
These videos document the collaboration between Levi Strauss and Braddock, Pennsylvania, which began in 2010.
"There's an honesty and soul attached to [Levi's Braddock campaign] that surpassed anything I ever worked on before."
"These moments were gathered along the journey on the long and winding road. Thanks to my phone, I carry them with me everywhere as a constant reminder to be inquisitive, honest and inspired."
A watershed moment in American culture that affected the world. It's impossible to fully realize the significance of the waves these three men made in Dogtown. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Photographs and captions courtesy of Christian Parkes
A gift from a friend, a cyclist, who, even in retirement remains the most inspiring, fearless, and driven person I've ever met. Riding this puts everything in perspective. Residence, San Francisco
Words of humble, German wisdom from artist/ activist/agitator Ralf Schmerberg. Mind Pirates, Berlin
Simple proof that living simply is pretty simple. Navaho Reservation, Arizona
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." John F. Kennedy. A guide for living. Residence, San Francisco
Len Peltier (Creative). Josh Katz (Marketer). The best left jab, right hook knockout combination I've ever worked with. Period. Baltic Sea, Germany
Sitting in quiet awe with Gustavo, 50% of the Brazilian powerhouse Os Gemeos. My modus operandi is simple: do good things with good people. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Ma. Pa. Where it all began; where it all ends. Thanks to them, everyday is a gift. El Pinet, Spain
My vice, Mighty Green. Born in Germany in '66 with a three-dial dash. To escape I just add asphalt. Underground, San Francisco.
A rule should not make you stop; it should make you ask "Why?" Downtown, Los Angeles
Perspective for those days when I bitch about conference rooms and lunch at a desk at 5PM. 3rd Street, San Francisco.
"An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmaster of ever afterwards." F. Scott Fitzgerald. We are all authors. Photography by Ed Templeton. Los Angeles.
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- Interests:
- Peter Odemwingie Is God, Zombi, No Country For Old Men, National Lampoon's Animal House, Iron Maiden, Jaws, Mambo Surf De Luxe, Fang Island, Howard Stern, Frightened Rabbit, Kenny Powers of Eastbound & Down, Thin Lizzy, LIVESTRONG, RadioShack, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Midnight Cowboy, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Three Colours Trilogy, Alien, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, The Tingler, King Kong, Freaks, Wizard of Oz, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Rushmore, Election, Election 2, Exiled, Observe and Report, Pineapple Express, There Will Be Blood, Dirty Harry, The Quatermass Xperiment, Peeping Tom, At Close Range, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, Deadwood, The Wire, Extras, Citizen Kane, The Sopranos, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Wild Bunch, The French Connection, The Godfather, Hunger, The White Ribbon, The Graduate, Let the Right One In, Fearless Vampire Killers, In the Loop, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Local Natives, Hot Snakes, Frank Sinatra, Rocket from the Crypt, The National, Shellac, Simon & Garfunkel, Scott Walker, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Afghan Whigs, Animal Collective, Battles, YACHT, Them Crooked Vultures, The Jesus Lizard, Dirty Projectors, John Coltrane, Man Man, M83, Black Sabbath, The Mars Volta, Johnny Cash, Mastodon, Queen, The Who, Spiritualized, Slint, Pelican, The Walkmen, Mogwai, Stone Roses, Sleep, Meursault, Jawbox, Fucked Up, Firehose, Explosions in the Sky, Comets on Fire, The Bronx, The Beatles, Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen, West Bromwich, West Bromwich Albion Fans, Eric White (Official), Levi's, Mat McIvor, Pollyn, LIVESTRONG.COM
- Music:
- Zombi
- Iron Maiden
- Fang Island
- Frightened Rabbit
- Thin Lizzy
- Hot Snakes
- Local Natives
- Frank Sinatra
- Rocket from the Crypt
- The National
- Simon & Garfunkel
- Scott Walker
- Shellac
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
- The Afghan Whigs
- Animal Collective
- Battles
- YACHT
- Them Crooked Vultures
- John Coltrane
- Dirty Projectors
- The Jesus Lizard
- Man Man
- M83
- Black Sabbath
- Johnny Cash
- Mastodon
- The Mars Volta
- Queen
- Pelican
- The Who
- Spiritualized
- Slint
- The Walkmen
- Sleep
- Stone Roses
- Mogwai
- Jawbox
- Meursault
- Fucked Up
- Firehose
- Comets on Fire
- Explosions in the Sky
- The Bronx
- Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen
- The Beatles
- Pollyn
- Groups:
- Swami Records
