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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

History Of Levi Jeans For Men

By Ray Hauser


Levi jeans for men epitomize a quintessential American style renowned worldwide for its commitment to quality and fashion. The jeans are manufactured by Levi Strauss & Co, a privately held American company founded in 1853 by Levi Strauss. Still headquartered in San Francisco Ca, the company employs seventeen thousand people worldwide and generates almost $5 billion in revenue.

Levi Strauss immigrated to New York from Germany in 1847. He worked with his two brothers in their dry goods business and became a U.S. citizen in 1853. He eventually made his way to Northern California where he settled in San Francisco to take part in the opportunities offered by the California Gold Rush. He opened his own business called Levi Strauss & Co. and peddled canvas, boots, bedding, clothing etc. to regional stores who primarily serviced various mining communities.

Jacob Davis, a Latvian immigrant, worked as a tailor in Reno, Nevada. He regularly purchased material from Strauss. Legend has it that a laborer's wife asked Davis to make some sturdy pants for her husband. Davis began incorporating metal rivets at the corners of the pockets and the button fly.

Davis contacted Strauss in 1872 about his rivet process. He wanted to obtain a patent on the idea, but he didn't have the money to file for an application. Strauss agreed to fund the process and they would share the patent. In May 1873, patent 139121 for the "Improvement in Fastening Pocket Openings" was issued to the two men and the way was opened for the production of Levi jeans.

Davis later joined Strauss in San Francisco to help manufacture these new jeans known at the time as "waist overalls" and marketed under the brand name of "XX". The name came about because nine ounce XX blue denim was used in the production of the pants. Each pair had one back pocket with arcuate stitching, a watch pocket, a cinch, suspender buttons and a crotch rivet. Each rivet was embossed with the "LS&CO symbol just like today.

The Two Horse brand leather patch was incorporated in 1886 to reinforce Levi's claim to the rivet patent and to show the strength of the pants. Levi's began using the 501 trademark in 1890 after the rivet patent expired since the pants were originally listed as number 501 in the catalog.

Belt loops were added to the pants in 1922. In 1927, ten ounce red selvage denim was used to make 501 jeans. Levi's was finally registered as a trademark in 1928. By 1936, the red Tab was placed on the right back pocket with the word Levi's sewn into it.

Sold in over one hundred countries around the world, Levi's are produced in a wide range of styles and colors. Levi jeans for men continue to be a global icon of American culture, style and fashion.




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