Celebration 125 Lee Years: Let’s celebrate History by making it – 11th October 2014

To mark Lee’s 125th anniversary, we brought denim history to life with an immersive archive tour and an unforgettable music celebration in Mumbai. From rare heritage pieces and 125 Buddy Lee dolls to electrifying performances by India’s top artists, the event blended fashion, culture and music into a milestone celebration that made history.

Objective

For Lee, the storied denim brand founded in Kansas in 1889, the year 2014 marked a major milestone of 125 years of craftsmanship, innovation, and cultural relevance. The goal in India—and particularly in Mumbai—was to celebrate this 125-year legacy with a “big bang” experiential event. The event needed to accomplish several things:

  • Reinforce Lee’s historical heritage and craftsmanship as a denim innovator
  • Deepen emotional connection with Indian consumers by making them part of Lee’s global archive tour
  • Leverage music, fashion, and culture as touchpoints to make the celebration memorable
  • Generate strong media and public attention—not just in fashion & lifestyle, but across mainstream, music, culture, and youth media

As the PR Manager at MSL Group India, the responsibility was to plan and execute this holistic, multi-sensory celebration so that Lee’s 125th anniversary would be more than just a marking of time—it would be a living, breathing experience of denim history, design, and culture in India

Idea

To achieve these objectives, we conceived the “Lee Archive Tour” stage event, anchored in Mumbai as a one-day, immersive experience. Key idea components:

  1. Archive Exhibition + Installations
    • Curate rare historic pieces from Lee’s global archive (some items dating back to the 1910s).
    • Include 27 archival items to showcase Lee’s evolution in fabric, cut, utility, creative experimentation.
    • Display 125 Buddy Lee dolls, each dressed in the limited-edition “Lee 101+ 125th Anniversary” outfits, to symbolize the journey from past to present.
  2. Historian Narrative
    • Jean Svadlenak (“Lady Jean”), Lee’s long-time denim historian from Kansas, to guide attendees through the archive and tell the story of Lee’s denim journey, craft innovations, global spread, and legacy
  3. Music & Cultural Performance
    • Use live music to evoke eras and emotions. Each set of performance corresponded loosely to different eras or musical genres that reflect a 125-year span
    • Artists included Karsh Kale, Monica Dogra, Ez Riser, Saba Azad, DJ Uri, Reggae Rajahs, Sidd Coutto, Nucleya, Vishwesh K among others, spanning genres from jazz & swing, rock, reggae, electronic and contemporary fusion
  4. Limited Edition Product Highlight
    • Present the “Lee 101+” 125th anniversary limited edition jeans as part of the exhibition and product celebration
  5. Audience Engagement & Invitations
    • Contests via Facebook & Twitter to distribute 2,000+ free passes
    • Invite media, fashion & lifestyle influencers, key industry bodies, musicians, denim connoisseurs, and the broader public
  6. Venue & Atmosphere
    • Event held at the NSCI ground, Mumbai, chosen for capacity and centrality.
    • Installations to be visually strong: archive pieces, Buddy Lee installations, immersive exhibits, lighting and sound to evoke nostalgia and innovation

Execution

The implementation brought the idea to life through careful coordination, logistics, curation, and creative direction:

  • Curatorial & Logistical Work
    Historic items were sourced globally, transported, and displayed securely. The archival pieces were selected for their storytelling potential: earliest denim cuts, experimental materials, iconic design changes
  • Buddy Lee Dolls & Limited Edition Gear
    The Buddy Lee dolls—originally created in the 1920s as a promotional display model for Lee—were revived in 125 pieces for the event, outfitted in limited-edition Lee 101+ denim to show continuity and evolution 
  • Historian’s Tour
    Jean Svadlenak narrated the memoire of Lee, leading the audience through the installations. This framing anchored the event: this is not just fashion but heritage, invention, permanence
  • Lee 125 Event BadgeMusic Curation & Show Flow 
     The performance sequence was designed to mirror time progression / musical eras.
    • Ez Riser + Saba Azad kicked off
    • DJ Uri followed, bringing elements of swing / jazz 
    • Reggae Rajahs & Sidd Coutto offered reggae / roots 
    • Karsh Kale / Monica Dogra delivered fusion, rock, disco
    • Nucleya & Vishwesh K closed with electronic / progressive / modern crossovers
  • Promotion & Media Strategy
    Extensive media outreach, teaser campaigns, influencer engagement, and contests to build anticipation. Also, invitation of press & bloggers in fashion, lifestyle, music
  • Event Night Execution
    At NSCI, the setup with installations, stage, lighting, sound etc. worked to create a juxtaposition: old denim, vintage dolls, new music and fashion. The archive tour occurred in a defined space, leading into the musical performances. Visuals & photography were emphasized heavily, for both media and social sharing

Results

The event achieved remarkable success, meeting and in many cases exceeding its objectives.

  • Sell-Out event & high attendance: The Mumbai concert was reported as “completely sold out” in terms of invite / pass distribution. The vibe was high, with strong turnout from target demographic: fashion & denim enthusiasts, youth culture lovers, music fans 
  • Media Coverage:
    Major outlets including The Times of India covered the event with feature stories (“Lee celebrates 125 years of innovation with a one-of‐a-kind concert in Mumbai”) detailing archive, performances, installations
    Lifestyle, fashion, and mainstream media all picked up stories. Music media likewise covered the performances and genre mash-ups
  • Brand Strengthening:
    Lee reinforced its heritage reputation in India: its 125 years, craftsmanship, iconic status. The limited edition “Lee 101+” gained visibility. Buddy Lee resurrected as mascot in a symbolic way helped deepen consumer connection with Lee’s past
  • Cultural Impact / Buzz:
    The event was talked about widely among youth culture circles. Social media photos, videos—especially from performances and archive installations—generated engagement. Fashion influencers / bloggers shared their experiences. The mix of vintage + contemporary struck a chord
  • Longer-Term Effects:
    The archive tour in India was part of a larger Asia-Pacific Asia Tour (China, Japan, Philippines, Australia etc.) with similar archival exhibitions and installations.
    It contributed to Lee’s global anniversary branding identity (special logo/branding mark, archival identity, “Lee 125 years of denim”) being carried through globally 
  • Business & Brand Recall:
    While exact sales data are proprietary, anecdotal evidence from media indicates the event helped in driving awareness of Lee’s premium denim line; footfall in retail afterwards rose, and brand recall amongst younger consumers improved (per media commentary)

Conclusion

The Lee 125 Years celebration in Mumbai succeeded because it didn’t just say history—it showed it. Through the archive tour, the Buddy Lee dolls, the historian’s narrative, and the musical journey across eras, Lee bridged past and present. The execution was seamless, the audience engaged, the media amplifying, and the brand message of “staying curious” both earned and felt. More than an anniversary, it was a cultural moment.