LEVI's Fouinder

Jacob Davis decided to patent the metal rivets idea.  He approached Levi Strauss and suggested they hold the patent together.  Strauss agreed, and the two men were awarded the patent on May 20, 1873.  This date is today considered the official “birthday” of blue jeans.

For almost 20 years, Strauss and Davis were the only ones allowed to make riveted clothing until the patent entered the public domain.  The two horse design first appeared in 1886.  In 1890, the pants were assigned the number 501.  Once the patent expired, other companies started making these riveted denim jeans.  In 1936, the red tab attached to the right rear pocket was introduced as a way to identify Levi’s jeans at a distance.

In the 1940s, jeans were worn by workers, especially in the factories.  Blue jeans became popular in the 1950s as a symbol of protest against conformity.  In the mid-1950s, Donald Freeland of the Great Western Garment Company introduced the technique of stone-washing denim.  In the 1960s, blue jeans became widely accepted, especially among the younger generation.  Their popularity continued into the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and it continues today.