Levi Strauss & Co. CEO Michelle Gass is, of course, a living human being, but clad in her dark-blue jean jacket and straight-leg black jeans, the self-proclaimed “denim head” blends in well on the store floor. The flagship store represents a major pivot in Levi’s strategy: The company intends to rely less on wholesale revenue from retail partners like Walmart, Target, and department stores, and more on sales from its own stores and website—called the direct-to-consumer or DTC channel in retail—the better to control its own destiny in the perilous apparel industry.