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The History of Levi’s
Levi’s are classic American jeans and are trusted worldwide for their durability and style. Levi Strauss, founder of Levi’s, changed the world forever in 1873 when he received the patent to make the first ever pair of riveted denim pants. Since Mr. Strauss’s brilliant invention, the blue jean has become ubiquitous across the globe.
Levi Strauss founded his namesake company, Levi Strauss & Co., in 1853 in San Francisco, California. Originally a wholesale house, the path of Mr. Strauss’ business changed when he met Jacob Davis, a tailor. Davis had the idea to use rivets to reinforce stress points on pants but didn’t have the money to get the patent himself. He contacted Strauss and the two went into business together, acquiring a patent for riveted denim pants. In the 1890s, the first ever pair of Levis 501 jeans was made. They were tough and comfortable and became the favorite pant of cowboys, lumberjacks, and other outdoorsmen at the time. However, blue jeans didn’t reach the mainstream until the 1930s when east coast vacationers saw the blue jeans being worn by cowboys in the western states. The cowboy lifestyle had become something of a national obsession and easterners sought to emulate their style. In 1934, the first pair of blue jeans for women, “Lady Levi’s” were made. World War II helped to bring Levi’s to a wider audience, as they were declared an essential commodity by the U.S. government and also because soldiers wore them overseas. This gave Levi’s its first international exposure. In the 1950s and 60s, Levi’s gained popularity among the youth of America and became not only the most popular pants in the nation, but the best-selling item of clothing in general.
Levi Strauss never got to see his Levi’s become the icon they are today. He died in 1902, when most Americans had no idea what blue jeans even were. He passed his company along to his four nephews and Levi Strauss & Co. has been family owned ever since.
Today, Levi’s have much more competition than they did in their early days but, still, no one sells more jeans. They are the gold standard of denim and are trusted by both men and women who seek products of the highest quality, style, and toughness. Not only were Levi’s the first jeans but they have proven over many decades that they are some of the best.
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