Last week I attended the FW 2012 preview from Levi’s at The Burroughs Building, one of my favourite venues in the city. I’ve been a lover of the Levi’s brand since I had my first pair as a kid. I remember how excited  was to rock my first 501s.

I was happy to see the brand taking a stept outside the denim box into lifestyle clothing. I’d really in love with the little dress. There’s a bunch of denim dresses in the SS collection I would love to be wearing right now.

It was nice to see some creativity in the fashion show. You’ll see how the models each came out and walked the stage playing ‘characters’ who wear Levi’s.

There was a few couples dressed in similar styles, the preppy kids, hipster boy with a fixie to show lock holder on jeans, pretty girl in the dress, and suave babe in blazer. It was nice.

Not to mention the whole performance starting with shirtless hunk.

Watch The Video:

I’m pretty sure every fashion editor in the city was there.

We watched all the models get dressed in different styles right before our eyes.

This guy was the babe of all babes.

Last year I wrote a piece for The Levi’s Girl blog about building your personal brand.

“Casie Stewart knows a thing or two about leaving an online footprint. Recognized by Klout as one of Toronto’s top tweeters and bloggers, she has plenty of tips on how you can leverage social media channels as an invaluable element to your personal brand.”

                Mum used to tell me I was “someone special,” and I guess you could say I believed her. I’ve had lots of different jobs growing up, but my current job is one I only ever dreamed of.  When I started a blog, I didn’t think I was starting a brand. In 2009, I was on a TV show and the host asked, “What do you want to be?” I responded without hesitation and said, “I want to be a world brand.” Yes, that was reaching pretty far, but I knew one thing was certain: I was building a personal brand and nothing could stop me.

Not too long after that, social media really started picking up. I was right in the middle of it, spinning a web of content around me via my blog, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. I fell in love with the Internet and social media because it gave me an outlet to let my creativity run wild. That’s the beauty of building a personal brand: creating a representation of who YOU are and sharing it online.

A personal brand is you in an art form; it’s a mix of business and creativity. My mum used to say, “Casie, just because you don’t have money doesn’t mean you can’t compete. You just have to be more creative.” We’re lucky to live in a day and age where you can set a profile, create a voice and build a brand with an idea and the Internet.

Here are some tips on building your personal brand:

1. Set a goal: Make a plan for your brand. What are you passionate about? What do you want to be known for?
2. Start a blog: Use WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger or Posterous to create a free home for your online activity.
3. Find a mentor: Find someone who is doing what you want to do and introduce yourself, learn from them and get inspired.
4. TGIF: Twitter, Google, Internet, Facebook: Create profiles for yourself online and update them regularly with things that align with your brand.
5. Get Involved: Seek out events related to your passion and get involved by volunteering. This is a great way to grow your brand, meet others and learn from experts.

I’ve been building my personal brand online for over five years. At first, no one read my blog, and I had no followers on Twitter. We all have to start somewhere but have the potential to go anywhere. In the words of Napoleon Hill, “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Read the original article on The Levi’s Girl blog.

When did you get your first Levi’s? Do you have any now? LMK!

Maybe I can ask then to do a giveaway? Hint. Hint.

Have an AWESOME DAY!