8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event Reported): May 3, 2004

LEVI STRAUSS & CO.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

DELAWARE	333-36234	94-0905160
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

1155 BATTERY STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94111

(Addresses, including zip code, and telephone numbers, including area code, of principal executive offices)

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) (415) 501-6000

ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS AND REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE

Attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of Levi Strauss & Co.’s press release dated May 3, 2004 titled “Levi Strauss & Co. Names Paul Smith as Head of Global Tax Department”.

ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(c) Exhibits

99.1 Press release of Levi Strauss & Co. dated May 3, 2004.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		LEVI STRAUSS & CO.
DATE:	May 4, 2004	By:	/s/    GARY W. GRELLMAN
		Name:	Gary W. Grellman
		Title:	Vice President and Corporate Controller

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number	Description
99.1	Press release of Levi Strauss & Co. dated May 3, 2004.

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

LEVI STRAUSS   & CO. NEWS 1155 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Linda Butler Levi Strauss & Co. (415) 501-6070

Levi Strauss & Co. Names Paul Smith as Head of Global Tax Department

SAN FRANCISCO (May 3, 2004)—Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) today announced the appointment of Paul Smith as Vice President and head of the company’s Global Tax Department. Smith, 36, was most recently the Director of Tax Accrual Services with the National Tax Department of Ernst & Young LLP in Washington, DC. He assumes his new position on May 24 and will report to LS&CO.’s chief financial officer.

“Paul is an exceptional leader with broad tax and accounting expertise,” said Jim Fogarty, LS&CO.’s Chief Financial Officer. “As we have indicated in our SEC filings, one of our primary goals at LS&CO. has been to increase our level of expertise in tax-related GAAP,” said Fogarty. “Paul is one of the nation’s leading tax experts, and I believe he will strengthen our efforts in this area.”

Since 1990 Smith has been with Ernst & Young (E&Y) in a number of increasingly responsible positions. He first specialized in corporate mergers and acquisitions and then moved to international tax consulting where he gained experience in cross-border transactions. For a time, he led E&Y’s U.S. tax practice in Italy and later joined the firm’s National Tax Department in Washington, DC to focus on accounting for taxes and to develop a consulting practice on effective tax rates. As E&Y’s Director of Tax Accrual Services, Smith coordinated the activities of approximately 35 tax accounting professionals to ensure consistent application of U.S. GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) and to identify and address emerging trends in the marketplace.

—more—

LS&CO. Names Smith/Add One

May 3, 2004

Smith is a nationally recognized lecturer on both tax and accounting issues, and has authored a comprehensive treatise on income tax accounting issues for multinational companies. He is a licensed certified public accountant, with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Science in taxation.

Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world’s leading branded apparel companies, marketing its products in more than 110 countries worldwide. The company designs and markets jeans and jeans-related pants, casual and dress pants, shirts, jackets and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi’s^®, Dockers^® and Levi Strauss Signature™ brands.

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