The first pair of modern-day jeans ever produced (1873) was the base for Levi’s 501®—so, it could be said that Levi’s 501® is the oldest branded jeans worldwide.
Jeans, during those days, were called ‘overalls’ or ‘waist-overalls’.
And they gained popularity in 1871-72 when a tailor named Jacob Davis put rivets (small buttons at the corners of the pockets in jeans) at stress points on denim pants.
These stress points were areas that endured the most strain, such as pocket corners and the base of the fly.
As per the legend, the wife of a labourer one day went to Jacob Davis and asked if he could make denim work trousers that would not disintegrate easily.
His invention of rivets became so popular that he couldn’t meet the demand with the production capacity of his small shop.
So, he moved his production to the facilities of dry goods wholesaler Levi Strauss & Co., which had been a fabric supplier to Jacob Davis.
In 1873, Jacob and Levi Strauss—now business partners—patented the riveted pants.
These pants were meant for hard-working men who needed clothing that could take a beating and stand up to the most demanding work environments.
The Two Horse® brand leather patch was first used in 1886 to demonstrate the pants’ strength and reinforce Levi’s status as the originator of patent riveted clothing.
In 1890, Levi Strauss and Co. started using lot numbers—an identification number assigned to a particular quantity or lot of material from a single manufacturer.
Lot 501 was used to designate the famous copper-riveted waist overalls—why this number was chosen is unknown.
Similarly, 201 was also used for the lot of less expensive versions of pants.
Several celebrities since then have been spotted in Levi’s 501®—in photoshoots or wearing them from their collection.
Steve Jobs was spotted in a pair of 501® in 1980 (later, 501s earned a permanent place in his closet).
