The Levi Strauss & Co. recently recognized UCSB’s overwhelmingly sexy student body in its search to select a few new models for the company’s advertising campaign next spring.

Levi’s has set up a “pop-up shop” – a temporary clothing display area and retail store – in front of the Pavilion Gym at the Rec Cen, in hopes of finding students to model for the clothing company. All students will have an opportunity to participate in a photo shoot, and will have the chance to win the Levi’s Style Search competition, a contest the company is sponsoring to find two college students to model for their next local and national promotional campaigns.

Levi’s Publicist Fiona McRobert said she set up the pop-up shop, which will be open today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., in hopes of connecting the Levi’s brand with the college market.

“We have members of the Levi’s crew around campus telling people about the pop-up shop,” McRobert said. “We really wanted to be more involved with the college campus. It is really great marketing.”

According to the Levi’s Style Search website, one male and one female student, selected from all four of the college campuses the company is campaigning at, will be selected for an expenses-paid trip to New York to model for Levi’s national spring advertising campaign next year. Additionally, a male and a female student from each of the four campuses will be selected to model for Levi’s “college edition” advertising campaigns, which also includes an expenses-paid trip to New York.

Levi’s Lead Stylist Scott Cameron, part of the pop-up shop team, said he helps students find the right clothes to model for the photo shoots and aids them in finding the right look. Both Cameron and McRobert said their goal is to persuade students who do not think of themselves as the “model type” to come to the shop and enter the contest.

“If you don’t look like a Vogue model, you’ve come to the right place,” Cameron said. “We are looking for someone who wears clothing that looks good and represents the brand well.”

The pop-up shop will feature Levi’s latest fall fashions, including the Skinny, Straight, and Capital E denim lines. The shop, complete with furniture, fitting rooms and a photo shoot area, is set up in an outdoor pavilion and was modeled after the Levi’s retail store on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

McRobert said the pop-up shop will have Levi’s style experts on hand to help students find the right clothes to match their personal style. She said consumers are often curious about new fashion, but are reluctant to try new styles – which is why Levi’s experts will be on-site to help participants.

“[The pop-up shops] are helping educate consumers on new fashion styles and offer students a fun, dynamic opportunity to interact with Levi’s experts,” McRobert said. “Levi’s experts can help them find the right fit and style.”

The Style Search competition also visited three other colleges – University of Tennessee, George Washington University and Brown University – earlier this fall in their search for new models. UCSB is their last stop for the model search.

Students who visit the pop-up shop will be invited to attend a party at the Levi’s store at 611 State St. on Oct. 19 if they RSVP. Interested students can also enter the competition via the Internet at www.stylesearch.levi.com. The deadline to enter is Oct. 20.