A CAMPAIGN for a clothing brand is rolling up its sleeves, figuratively and literally, as the ads are set in an actual distressed town and the advertiser donates money to help revitalization efforts there.

The campaign is for the flagship Levi’s brand sold by Levi Strauss & Company, and it is the start of the second year of an initiative that carries the theme “Go forth.” The ads are being filmed and photographed in Braddock, Pa., which attracted national attention in the last year for attempts by the mayor, John Fetterman, to address the dire straits of the town after decades of economic decline.

Levi Strauss executives plan to put their money where their pants are, donating more than a million dollars over a two-year period to assist Braddock in renovating a community center and further developing an urban farming program.

And the company will forgo using models for the campaign, instead casting residents of the Braddock area and paying them to appear in the ads. Some ads will include the words “Braddock, Pa.” in a corner.