some pair of new slacks

the story of success, part ONE - 1

1829Loeb Strauss is born in Buttenheim, Bavaria. 1847Leob Strauss, his two sisters and mother sail for America, where they join half-brothers Jonas and Louis in New York. Levi joins their dry goods business (selling bolts of cloth, linens, clothing, etc.). For a few years, young Loeb worked for his brothers, and by 1850 had changed his name to Levi.

1853Levi becomes an American citizen and sails to San Francisco to set up a small dry-goods house, which grows into a prosperous business over the next twenty years.Levi Strauss opens his wholesale dry-goods business on California Street near the San Francisco waterfront. It moves to a number of locations over the next 15 years.


1866LS&CO. headquarters are at 14-16 Battery Street, where they remain for 40 years.
1872Jacob Davis, a Reno Nevada tailor and one of Levi's wholesale customers, writes to Levi Strauss, telling him of the process he invented to rivet the pocket corners on men's pants.
Among Jacob's customers was a difficult man who kept ripping the pockets of the pants that Jacob made for him. Jacob tried to think of a way to strengthen the man's trousers, and one day hit upon the idea of putting metal rivets at the points of strain, such as on the pocket corners and at the base of the button fly.
These riveted pants were an instant hit with Jacob's customers and he worried that someone might steal this great idea. He decided he should apply for a patent on the process, but didn't have the $68 that was required to file the papers. He needed a business partner and he immediately thought of Levi Strauss.
He suggests the two men take out a patent on the process together.








1873Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive the patent for rivets on men's pants. The patent (# 139,121) is under the name of "Improvement in fastening Pocket Openings". That day is considered the official birthday of blue jeans.
They begin making copper riveted "waist overalls" (the old name for jeans) in San Francisco. The denim comes from the Amoskeag Mill in New Hampshire.


1902Levi Strauss dies at the age of 73. His nephews inherit the business.

1920sBy the 1920s, Levi's® waist overalls were the leading product in men's work pants in the Western states.
1928 LS&CO registers the word Levi's® as a trademark.
1930sThe company adopts the cowboy as its advertising and image-building icon, associating the rugged individualism of the cowboy (and his Hollywood counterpart) with the famous 501® waist overalls.
In the 1930s, Western movies as well as the West in general captured the American imagination. Authentic cowboys wearing Levi's® jeans were elevated to mythic status and Western clothing became synonymous with a life of independence and rugged individualism. Denim was now associated less often with laborers and more with the rugged American now symbolized by John Wayne, Gary Cooper and others.
1935LS&CO. creates "Lady Levi's®" the company's first blue jean for women

1950sAfter World War II, however, Levi Strauss & Co.'s customer base changed dramatically from working adult men to leisure-loving teenage boys and their older college-age brothers who called the product "jeans."
1954 "Lighter Blues" casual slacks and the "Denim Family" line mark the company's entry into the sportswear business.

1960sBy 1960, Levi Strauss & Co. decided that it was time to adopt the name - jeans - , since these new, young consumers had adopted the product.
1962Levi Strauss Europe is established.
1963Pre-shrunk Levi's® jeans are introduced.

1964STA-PREST slacks —the first wrinkle free products — are introduced. Levi's® jeans become part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution.
1965 Levi Strauss International and Levi Strauss Far East are established, beginning the company's expansion into Europe and Asia.

1969-1970LS&CO. introduces bell bottoms into its jeans line.

1986Dockers® Khakis are introduced in the United States.
1996LS&CO. introduces the Slates® brand, a new line of men's dress pants.

2000LS&CO. introduces Levi's® Engineered Jeans™, the reinvention of jeans for the 21st century.