Welcome to Brand Breakdown, a series of comprehensive yet easy-to-digest guides to your favorite companies, with insights and information you won’t find on the average About page.
In the beginning, there was one: the 501. In 1873, Levi Strauss and Co. received a patent for blue jeans reinforced with rivets and began producing stronger pants for working men. Over the past century, the brand’s jeans became a favorite of miners, laborers, rock stars and city-dwellers — a quintessential American garment that transcended all social classes. They’ve also been canonized in American cinema by Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953), James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1954), and Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock (1957). And since the advent of the 501, Levi’s has created dozens of fits for its ever-growing clientele.
Products in the Guide
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Levi’s 501 Original Fit Jeans
Straight Fit
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Levi’s 501 Original Shrink-to-Fit Jeans
Straight Fit
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Levi’s 505 Regular Fit Jeans
Straight Fit
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Levi’s 514 Straight Fit Jeans
Straight Fit
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Levi’s 559 Relaxed Straight Jeans
Straight Fit
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Levi’s 569 Loose Straight Fit Jeans
Straight Fit
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Levi’s 502 Taper Fit Flex Jeans
Taper Fit
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Levi’s 510 Skinny Fit Jeans
Skinny Fit
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Levi’s 511 Slim Fit Jeans
Slim Fit
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Levi’s 512 Slim Fit Taper Jeans
Taper Fit
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Levi’s 513 Slim Straight Jeans
Slim Fit
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Levi’s 527 Slim Bootcut Jeans
Boot Cut Fit
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Levi’s Western Fit Jeans
Boot Cut Fit
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Levi’s So High Bootcut Jeans
Boot Cut Fit
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Levi’s 531 Athletic Slim Jeans
Athletic Fit
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Levi’s 541 Athletic Taper Jeans
Athletic Fit
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Levi’s 550 Relaxed Fit Jeans
Relaxed Fit
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Levi’s History
Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss founded the West Coast wing of his brother’s dry goods business in San Francisco in 1853. 20 years later a tailor, Jacob Davis, reached out to Strauss about rivets he fastened to pants to reinforce their pockets. Together, Davis thought, they could file the aforementioned patent for rivet reinforced waist overalls. And, in 1873, Levi’s as we know it was born.
But not quite jeans at large. These kinds of trousers already existed. Levi’s just popularized (and patented) ones with rivets. The reinforcements were originally for workers, who would inevitably work (pun intended) their way through usual pants, creating a market for more durable ones. (Hence the logo, a visual of two horses tied to the pants trying to rip them apart.) By 1890, the patent expired and Levi’s was no longer the style’s exclusive manufacturer. Cue numerical values: first being the 501 (and the 201, an affordable alternative). Though the reasoning for the numbering remains a mystery, Levi’s used it as the foundation for styles to come: the 505, 511 and so on and so forth.
You can learn more about Levi’s history in our dedicated guide to vintage Levi’s jeans.