Levi’s has announced it is launching a wearable Apple iPod-compatible pair of jeans. The latest in the fashion-meets-technology revolution comes from two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable icons. The marriage of hi-tech gadgetry with familiar and reliable apparel creates an unbeatable combination of style, comfort and function. The jeans are sure to be the fashion statement of 2006. They are also sure to leave rival makers of music players drooling as they try to keep up with the phenomenal success of Apple’s device. Curiously, the new RedWire DLX jeans, to be priced at $400, will not be available worldwide until late summer, which seems somewhat tardy relative to the frenetic pace with which new techno-products are endlessly unveiled.

According to MacNewsDaily.com, the new jeans “seamlessly integrate iPod plug-and-play technology giving music enthusiasts the most innovative and fashionable way to enjoy music on the go”. The site says the jeans “include a special joystick incorporated into the watch pocket to enable easy operation of the iPod”. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press release: “The [jeans are] the latest extension of the Levi’s brand leadership position by merging fashion and technology that provides consumers with the most innovative way to enhance their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s is not the first fashion brand to cash in on the iPod’s desirability. Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry all boast designer holders for the 42 million iPods sold to date.

WARM-UPS

1. MY JEANS HISTORY: In pairs / groups, talk about your history with jeans. Are they your favorite clothes? Why are they so wearable? Why have they been so popular around the world for a century? What changes would you like to see in new jeans?

2. JEANS CONSIDERATIONS: There have been a million different designs of jeans – something for everyone. Talk about the following with your partner(s). How important are they when you buy a pair of jeans?

Price Color Quality of denim Pockets and stitching

The latest style / fashion Maker / designer The number of rips, tears and holes In-built functions

3. TWO-MINUTE JEANS DEBATES: Face you partner. Take part in the following for-fun debates. Partner A strongly believes in the first argument.

1. Jeans are the coolest clothes around. vs. Jeans are boring.
2. Jeans should only be blue. vs. Jeans can be any color.
3. It’s OK to wear jeans at an interview. vs. Not if you want the job.
4. Jeans will become unfashionable some day. vs. Not in a million years.
5. You never need to wash jeans. vs. You do if you want friends.
6. Jeans can be made from silk. vs. Jeans aren’t jeans unless they’re denim.
7. Everybody looks good in jeans- young, old, rich or poor. vs. Not everybody.
8. Jeans are a symbol of America. vs. Jeans are truly universal.

4. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Levi’s / iPod / jeans / fashion / technology / revolutions / icons / style / rivals / tardiness / music enthusiasts / joysticks / innovation / digital music lifestyle / Gucci

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

5. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY: What do you think of these products that combine technology with wearability and fashion. Will you buy them?

1. A pair of plug in-and-play iPod jeans with fitted headphones.
2. Glasses that have satellite navigation maps behind the lenses.
3. Underwear that records and diagnoses your current state of health.
4. Shirts that automatically change color to suit all occasions.
5. TV watches with a fully functional watchtop computer.
6. Jet-powered roller skates

6. JEANS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with jeans. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Levi’s will produce an iPod-sized pair of jeans as an iPod accessory.	T / F
b.	Levi’s is embarking on a marriage of hi-tech gadgetry and fashion.	T / F
c.	Apple’s rivals are likely to be quite jealous of the new Levi’ s product.	T / F
d.	Levi’s worldwide launch for the iPod jeans is late summer.	T / F
e.	The jeans are an example of a new trend of plug-and-play apparel.	T / F
f.	The zip on the jeans doubles up as a joystick.	T / F
g.	The Levi’s chairman talked about portable, digital jeans.	T / F
h.	Levi’s is the first fashion company to cash in on the iPod’s desirability.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	marriage	buffs
b.	apparel	envious
c.	drooling	augment
d.	tardy	perfectly
e.	frenetic	fusion
f.	seamlessly	so far
g.	enthusiasts	mad
h.	enhance	late
i.	cash in on	clothing
j.	to date	exploit

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	launching a wearable Apple iPod-	with familiar and reliable apparel
b.	The latest in the fashion-meets-	on the go
c.	The marriage of hi-tech gadgetry	products are endlessly unveiled
d.	sure to leave rival	and-play technology
e.	pace with which new techno-	in on the iPod’s desirability
f.	seamlessly integrate iPod plug-	digital music lifestyle
g.	enjoy music	compatible pair of jeans
h.	enhance their portable,	to date
i.	not the first fashion brand to cash	technology revolution
j.	the 42 million iPods sold	makers of music players drooling

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Levi's to make iPod jeans

Levi’s has announced it is launching a ________ Apple iPod-compatible pair of jeans. The latest in the fashion-________ -technology revolution comes from two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable icons. The ________ of hi-tech gadgetry with familiar and reliable apparel creates an ________ combination of style, comfort and function. The jeans are sure to be the fashion ________ of 2006. They are also sure to leave rival makers of music players ________ as they try to keep up with the phenomenal success of Apple’s device. Curiously, the new RedWire DLX jeans, to be priced at $400, will not be available worldwide until late summer, which seems somewhat ________ relative to the frenetic pace with which new techno-products are endlessly ________.		tardy marriage wearable drooling unveiled meets unbeatable statement
According to MacNewsDaily.com, the new jeans “seamlessly ________ iPod plug-and-________ technology giving music enthusiasts the most innovative and fashionable way to enjoy music on the ________”. The site says the jeans “include a special joystick ________ into the watch pocket to enable easy operation of the iPod”. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press release: “The [jeans are] the latest ________ of the Levi’s ________ leadership position by merging fashion and technology that provides consumers with the most innovative way to enhance their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s is not the first fashion brand to ________ in on the iPod’s desirability. Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry all ________ designer holders for the 42 million iPods sold to date.		cash play incorporated boast brand integrate go extension

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Levi's to make iPod jeans

Levi’s has announced it is launching a _________ Apple iPod-compatible pair of jeans. The latest in the fashion-meets-technology revolution comes from two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable icons. The _________ of hi-tech gadgetry with familiar and reliable _________ creates an unbeatable combination of style, comfort and function. The jeans are sure to be the fashion statement of 2006. They are also sure to leave rival makers of music players _________ as they try to keep up with the phenomenal success of Apple’s device. Curiously, the new RedWire DLX jeans, to be priced at $400, will not be available worldwide until late summer, which seems somewhat _________ relative to the frenetic pace with which new techno-products are endlessly _________.

According to MacNewsDaily.com, the new jeans “_________ integrate iPod plug-and-play technology giving music enthusiasts the most innovative and fashionable way to enjoy music ________”. The site says the jeans “include a special joystick incorporated into the watch pocket to enable easy operation of the iPod”. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press release: “The [jeans are] the latest ________ of the Levi’s brand leadership position by merging fashion and technology that provides consumers with the most innovative way to ________ their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s is not the first fashion brand to ________  the iPod’s desirability. Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry all ________ designer holders for the 42 million iPods sold to date.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘plug’ and ‘play’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “JEANS” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about jeans.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

announced icons unbeatable rival curiously frenetic

seamlessly go watch extension enhance not the first

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Do you like wearing jeans?
3. What do you think of the idea of wearable technology?
4. Would you buy pair of music-enabled jeans?
5. What products that marry fashion with technology do you see coming in the future?
6. How much do you think Apple’s competitors are drooling over Levi’s, Louis Vuitton and Gucci making iPod accessories?
7. Do you think Apple’s rivals can encourage companies to make accessories for their own products?
8. What is your image of the iPod?
9. Do you think $400 is a reasonable price for the iPod jeans?
10. What technology do you need incorporated into your clothing?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Have you ever been left drooling over a new gadget or product?
4. Why do you think Levi’s is leaving it so late to launch its jeans worldwide?
5. Do you think other jeans makers will copy Levi’s?
6. Do you have a favorite pair of jeans?
7. Do you think Jeans are a symbol of America?
8. In the future, all clothes will have in-built technology with computers hidden inside buttons, etc. What do you think of this?
9. What other world brands should cash in on the desirability of the iPod?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
4. What did you like talking about?
5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

TECHNOWEAR: In pairs / groups, discuss the following products of the future. Agree on a price. Write down some benefits to consumers of these products and who the target market is. Agree on a slogan for each product.

PRODUCT	PRICE	BENEFITS	MARKET	SLOGAN
Plug in-and-play iPod jeans with fitted headphones.
Glasses that have satellite navigation maps behind the lenses.
Underwear that records and diagnoses your current state of health.
Shirts that automatically change color to suit all occasions.
TV watches with a fully functional watchtop computer.
Jet-powered roller skates

Change partners and talk about what you agreed on with your old partner(s).

Talk about which of your ideas for each product has the greatest chances of commercial success.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on the new Levi’s jeans. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

3. JEANS: Make a poster or write an essay on the history of jeans. Read your essay or show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

4. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY: Write a letter to the head of an electronics company. Tell him/her your ideas for wearable technology. Show your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Did everyone have similar ideas?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. T

d. T

e. T

f. F

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	marriage	fusion
b.	apparel	clothing
c.	drooling	envious
d.	tardy	late
e.	frenetic	mad
f.	seamlessly	perfectly
g.	enthusiasts	buffs
h.	enhance	augment
i.	cash in on	exploit
j.	to date	so far

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	launching a wearable Apple iPod-	compatible pair of jeans
b.	The latest in the fashion-meets-	technology revolution
c.	The marriage of hi-tech gadgetry	with familiar and reliable apparel
d.	sure to leave rival	makers of music players drooling
e.	pace with which new techno-	products are endlessly unveiled
f.	seamlessly integrate iPod plug-	and-play technology
g.	enjoy music	on the go
h.	enhance their portable,	digital music lifestyle
i.	not the first fashion brand to cash	in on the iPod’s desirability
j.	the 42 million iPods sold	to date

GAP FILL:

Levi's to make iPod jeans

Levi’s has announced it is launching a wearable Apple iPod-compatible pair of jeans. The latest in the fashion-meets-technology revolution comes from two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable icons. The marriage of hi-tech gadgetry with familiar and reliable apparel creates an unbeatable combination of style, comfort and function. The jeans are sure to be the fashion statement of 2006. They are also sure to leave rival makers of music players drooling as they try to keep up with the phenomenal success of Apple’s device. Curiously, the new RedWire DLX jeans, to be priced at $400, will not be available worldwide until late summer, which seems somewhat tardy relative to the frenetic pace with which new techno-products are endlessly unveiled.

According to MacNewsDaily.com, the new jeans “seamlessly integrate iPod plug-and-play technology giving music enthusiasts the most innovative and fashionable way to enjoy music on the go”. The site says the jeans “include a special joystick incorporated into the watch pocket to enable easy operation of the iPod”. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press release: “The [jeans are] the latest extension of the Levi’s brand leadership position by merging fashion and technology that provides consumers with the most innovative way to enhance their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s is not the first fashion brand to cash in on the iPod’s desirability. Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry all boast designer holders for the 42 million iPods sold to date.

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