If The Jean Fits.

The new girls only jeans for women by Levi's is a strategy hoping to lift sales of its vital European market. Newly opened, the Levi Strauss jeans boutique for young women is a move to divide the sexes gradually in other stores, with many in the planning just for women, and many just for men.

The new store, called Levi's for Girls, is aimed at women ages 19 to 25, though the company acknowledges that the average customer may be more like 15 to 22. Levi Strauss also said it would transform its Paris flagship into a store for men only. This is all part of a plan to have multiple outlets for different corners of the market.

If the idea catches on among Europeans, who are often the motors of fashion trends, it may one date be carried over the United States, where Levi Strauss has been taking a different tack, pushing the less expensive Signature brand, which has taken Levi's into Wal-mart and other discount stores for the first time.

It is all part of a turnaround effort as Levi Strauss struggles in a lukewarm clothing market. Last month the company announced plans to eliminate up to 650 jobs in Europe and the US. On Thursday last week, Levi's said it would close the last three of its Canadian manufacturing plants, which currently employs 1,180 people.

It is true that the big market brands are being pressured by private labels, discounters and a new innovative breed of trendy denim-wear companies. Industry experts so far have reacted warily, but said that in the face of vigorous competition, Levi Strauss had no choice but to innovate.