Levi Strauss

American entrepreneur

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July 23, 2026

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Levi Strauss was a Bavarian immigrant who arrived in San Francisco during the Gold Rush in 1853. He founded Levi Strauss & Co., which became the world's largest maker of blue denim jeans, known as Levi's. Initially selling dry goods to miners, Strauss hired a tailor to create durable pants from tent canvas, later switching to denim and adding copper riveting to reinforce pocket seams. This innovation, patented in 1873 with tailor Jacob Davis, marked the origin of modern jeans. The company's growth accelerated after World War II, with jeans becoming popular globally and an emblem of youth culture.

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Levi Strauss & Co.
…company traces its origin to Levi Strauss (1829–1902), a Bavarian immigrant who arrived in San Francisco in March 1853 during the Gold Rush, bringing dry goods for sale to miners. Hearing of the miners’ need for durable pants, Strauss hired a tailor to make garments out of tent canvas. Later,…
Read More
…company traces its origin to Levi Strauss (1829–1902), a Bavarian immigrant who arrived in San Francisco in March 1853 during the Gold Rush, bringing dry goods for sale to miners. Hearing of the miners’ need for durable pants, Strauss hired a tailor to make garments out of tent canvas. Later,…
Read More

jeans
…manufacture it, Davis partnered with Levi Strauss, whose San Francisco dry-goods company supplied him with cloth. In 1873 the two men received a patent to make and market riveted trousers, then called “waist overalls.” Initially Levi Strauss & Co. made the reinforced pants out of both denim and duck, two…
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…manufacture it, Davis partnered with Levi Strauss, whose San Francisco dry-goods company supplied him with cloth. In 1873 the two men received a patent to make and market riveted trousers, then called “waist overalls.” Initially Levi Strauss & Co. made the reinforced pants out of both denim and duck, two…
Read More

Today in History—May 20
How Jeans Turned the Whole World Blue
One of those men was Levi Strauss, whose name is so deeply woven into fashion history that it’s become synonymous with the garment. The other man was a humble tailor named Jacob Davis, whose name has largely faded from it.
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One of those men was Levi Strauss, whose name is so deeply woven into fashion history that it’s become synonymous with the garment. The other man was a humble tailor named Jacob Davis, whose name has largely faded from it.
Read More