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Levi Strauss & The Invention Of Blue Jeans
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| For over one hundred and fifty years, Americans of all social classes have worn blue jeans. Since they were invented by Levi Strauss all those years ago, they have been distinctly American and have become a symbol of American consumer culture and America's egalitarianism. Whether they are worn for work or for fashion today, Strauss' invent continues to be popular among Americans and around the world.
Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829. As a young boy, he moved with his family to the United States. He grew up in Kentucky before moving to New York in 1847. Before becoming an American citizen and moving West in 1853, Strauss worked in his brother's dry goods business. This gave him the expertise in textiles he needed to produce his famous invention. After the gold rush of 1949, Strauss decided to move West to seek his fortunes like so many other Americans had already done.
Strauss did not want to be a prospector. Instead, he knew he could made a good living by selling supplies to the miners. Originally, he planned to sell textiles, sewing supplies, and cloth, but he did not get much business for those products. When he heard miners complaining about the ease with which they split their pants or tore their pockets during mining, he decided to use some of his heavy canvas fabric that had been intended for tents and wagon covers to make pants for the miners. These pants were widely popular. These pants were almost impossible to split and proved so popular that he quickly ran out of materials to make more.
As the business grew, Strauss switched to the fabric we call denim. In 1873, Strauss received a letter from a Jewish tailor named Jacob Davis who had invented a process of securing pockets with copper rivets. This made the pants even more durable. Because Davis did not have the money to patent his idea, he offered to share it with Strauss if Strauss would agree to pay for the patent. He did and Levi jeans have been made with metal rivets ever since.
By the time Strauss died in 1902, he had made a significant contribution to American fashion and the American garment industry. The business has been growing ever since and Levi Strauss and Company is now one of the largest retail clothing companies in the world. It arose from humble beginnings, however, on the back of a pack-horse. | | | |
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