LEVI'S--The Real Thing

 

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 Who doesn't love a good pair of jeans? Americans, especially, have a great love of jeans, even though they might not be "the real thing."
In this case, authentic jeans today are called Levi's, named for the man who first created them.

LEVI STRAUSS (1829-1902)

Before Levi Strauss made his first pair in the middle of the Nineteenth Century, Genovese sailors made pants from a kind of serge, a strong material made from wool. By the 1700s, denim was made from wool and cotton. Later, sturdy pants were made solely from cotton.

California's gold rush economic boom was in full swing when the immigrant from Bavaria came to San Francisco in 1850. His goal was the same as all others--strike it rich in the gold mines.

Trained as a tailor, however, he instead planned to manufacture tents and wagon covers for the Forty-niners, but he failed to find a market for them.

Instead, he tried making durable pants from the stout canvas. The pants became a popular item for miners who needed clothing that would withstand the rigors of mining for gold. He sold them as fast as he could make them.

He soon switched from canvas to a heavy blue denim material call genes in France, which became "jeans" in America.

The "blue" in blue jeans came from the indigo plant. Blue jean manufacturers imported the dye from India until the twentieth century, when a synthetic indigo was developed.

Original Levi's did not have rivets to reinforce pockets and stress points. Another tailor by the name of Jacob Davis in Reno, Nevada invented riveted pants when a miner complained that the regular pants' pockets were not rugged enough to hold his mining tools.

Strauss and Davis met, and Davis allowed Strauss the use of his rivet idea. As Davis did not have the money for the necessary paperwork, he suggested that Strauss provide the funds so the two men would own the patent together.

The patent was signed on May 20, 1873.

Strauss brought Davis to San Francisco where they employed seamstresses working out of their homes. By the 1880s, Strauss opened his own factory.



ONE PAIR OF MY HUSBAND'S 501s--
NOTICE THE RIVETS AND IN ADDTION TO THE BIGGER
LABEL, NOTICE THE SMALL RED LABEL ON THE LEFT EDGE
OF THE POCKET THAT READS "LEVI'S"

The famous 501 brand jean was originally called XX.

It became the bestseller and the company grew quickly.

 



Today, jeans are worn by men and women around the world.

Levi's have become not only an emblem of the American West

but an emissary of the Western lifestyle.
 

Levi's are available as: Straight, Slim, Skinny, Relaxed, and Boot Cut.

Also as:

501's Original Fit

501's Shrink-to-Fit
Other variations of the "500" label.

Various Shades of Blue

 



Today, at all major outlet malls, such as Tanger Outlet in San Marcos, Texas, the Levi's brand has been placed on jackets, sweaters, shirts, and shorts.






Sources:
Levi Strauss-Biography
klru-"The West"
Wikipedia
Wikimedia
James Yeary-Photo


I HOPE HE'S WEARING REAL LEVI'S!