Levi Strauss was born in 1829 in Buttenheim, Bavaria, in what is now Germany. He was the youngest son in a Jewish family, with his father Hirsch Strauss selling dry goods. The family faced hardship, particularly after the death of Hirsch in 1846, prompting Levi’s two older brothers to move to New York City to establish a dry goods business.
In January 1853, at the age of 24, Levi Strauss became an American citizen and moved to San Francisco, California. He was drawn by the Gold Rush, but not with the intention to mine for gold. Instead, he planned to make his fortune by opening a West Coast branch of his brothers’ New York dry goods business.
Upon his arrival, Levi established a wholesale dry goods business under his own name, Levi Strauss & Co. He sold clothing, bedding, combs, purses, and handkerchiefs to the small general stores that were popping up all over California and the West. His business flourished, and Strauss became a well-known member of the San Francisco business community. He was also a notable philanthropist, supporting numerous charities, orphanages, and scholarship funds.
The pivotal moment in Levi’s career came in 1872. One of Strauss’s regular customers, a tailor named Jacob Davis from Reno, Nevada, wrote to him about an innovative idea he had to make work pants, known as “waist overalls,” more durable. Davis was using copper rivets to reinforce the points of strain on the pants, like pocket corners and the base of the button fly. However, he needed a business partner to help him patent this idea, and he proposed this partnership to Levi Strauss.
Levi was impressed with the idea and agreed to work with Davis. The two men received a patent for an “Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings” on May 20, 1873, marking the birth of the blue jean. The first Levi’s jeans were made for workers who needed strong, durable clothing that could withstand hard labor and harsh conditions.
The original jeans were made from a heavy canvas and later from a French material called serge de Nimes, which would later be known as denim. They featured copper rivets and a leather patch depicting two horses trying to tear a pair of pants, symbolizing the strength of the Levi’s jeans.
Levi Strauss continued to run his business successfully until his death in 1902. He never married and left the company to his four nephews. Levi Strauss & Co. has since grown into one of the world’s largest apparel companies and a global leader in jeans.
Levi Strauss’s legacy goes beyond just creating a piece of clothing. He embodied the American dream, arriving as an immigrant and rising to build a business that would become an enduring symbol of American culture and an integral part of fashion history. His name is synonymous with jeans, a testament to his impact on the industry and the world.
Books
Levi Strauss, the entrepreneur and founder of Levi Strauss & Co., there are several works that detail his life and the iconic brand he created. Here is a list of books that delve into the story of Levi Strauss and the creation of denim jeans:
1. “Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World” by Lynn Downey. This biography is written by the former historian for Levi Strauss & Co. and provides a detailed account of Strauss’s life and the global impact of the blue jeans he helped create.
2. “Levi’s Children: Coming to Terms with Human Rights in the Global Marketplace” by Karl Schoenberger. This book explores the broader implications of the global trade of denim and the Levi Strauss company’s role in it, including discussions on labor practices and human rights.
3. “Denim: A Cultural History of an American Icon” by James Sullivan. This book examines the evolution of denim from its origins in the Old West to its status as a modern fashion staple, including the story of Levi Strauss.
4. “The Birth of the Blue: Levi Strauss’ Patent” by Michael W. Harris. This book narrows in on the specific moment in history when Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis obtained the patent that would become the foundation for blue jeans.
5. “Denim: Fashion’s Frontier” by Emma McClendon. Although not solely about Levi Strauss, this book provides a comprehensive look at the history and cultural significance of denim, within which the story of Levi Strauss is a central theme.
6. “Jeans of the Old West: A History” by Michael Harris. This book provides a more general history of denim and jeans in the American West, situating Levi Strauss’s story within the broader context of the era.
If you are interested in a fictionalized or dramatized account of Levi Strauss’s life, there may be novels or historical fiction books that use his story as a basis, but these would not be non-fiction historical accounts and thus would take creative liberties with his life’s details. Always check the latest catalogs or databases for the most current and accurate information on available literature.
