As a family company established in Istanbul in 1991, Mavi Jeans, whilst retaining leadership in Turkey is moving rapidly towards becoming a global brand. The story of jeans begins in the 1800s in the city of Genoa, Italy. At that time, the Genoese sailors wore jeans for protection from bad weather. Nowadays, jeans are among the essentials of daily life as a symbol of comfort and fashion. “Mavi Jeans” is the first jean brand that comes to mind in Turkey. As the leader in the industry for 17 years, the brand’s claim lies beneath the philosophy “the best jeans cook in Mavi’s kitchen” THE GOAL IS TO CREATE A MEDITERRENEAN BRAND Mavi Jeans’ CEO Cuneyt Yavuz says that Mavi’s ability to mirror a person’s lifestyle, fulfill expectations on quality, its impeccable style and perfect fit are the reasons for its brand appeal. Mr. Yavuz states their objective is to create a Mediterrenean fashion brand around blue jean culture. The brand that dresses the fashion world in Mediterrenean style is also influnced by the Mediterranean spirit in its fragrance selection. By using the same fragrance in each store, Mavi aims to create a familiar experience for customers everytime they visit. A GLOBAL COMPANY HEADQUARTERED IN ISTANBUL Yavuz states that the primary markets they focus on are areas where consumer awareness is high and jean culture is established, and that they are spreading the Mediterrenean brand culture with their products everywhere they go. The brand’s global journey started in the U.S. followed by expansion into Canada, Germany and Australia. With the addition of the Netherlands and Russia, Mavi transformed into a global brand headquartered in Istanbul. Today the brand reaches its customers through 326 stores in 50 countries and over 5000 points of sale. The brand plans to open 23 new stores abroad, and 44 in Turkey. With the globalization of the brand many international awards and acclaim followed. Time Magazine named Mavi among “World’s Top 16 Jeans Brands”, American Cosmogirl readers selected the brand “The Sexiest Jeans”, Mavi was featured as one of the”Most Popular Jeans Stores” in Canada’s best-selling weekly newspaper Georgiou Staright’s “Best of Vancouver 2009” survey. World-renowned Sportswear Magazine named the brand “Germany’s Best Jeans Brand” and “the Fastest growing Denim Brand” in a study conducted about the industry. Yavuz says, all these achievements support the claim that Mavi is not only the best brand in Turkey but also in the world. PLAYING THE GAME BY THE RULES Yavuz states that the brand’s success lies in original design and always working with the best, and that Mavi puts emphasis on innovative applications that enables it to be a market pioneer. Because of this, Mavi is among the big brands playing the game by the rules. The brand collaborates with fashion world’s iconic designers, Adriano Goldschimied, Venuci de Russi, Rifat Ozbek and Hussein Chalayan and is the first Turkish brand to be featured in trendsetting design circle fairs such as Berlin Bread & Butter, Project Las Vegas and New York Coterie. Today the preferred brand of Hollywood stars seems to have managed to bring the Mediterranean spirit to the world. HOW TO ADVANCE IN MARKETING? Mavi thinks that it is important to deliver the right message at the right time, in the most efficient and transparent way in its ads. Therefore, in some campaigns image and prestige take the front seat, while in others a strategy that focuses on individual items is preferred. "We're Too Much" campaign demonstrates Mavi's leadership, "We Went Too Far" reflects its global understanding, "This is Istanbul" shows that Mavi understands young people and their style, "Always In Fashion" and "Jean Legend in Fashion" campaigns showcase Mavi's transformation from a denim to a fashion brand. Cuneyt Yavuz says they are focused on strengthening Mavi's fashion brand identity.