Levi’s

Pursuing riches and the American Dream, Bavarian-born merchant Levi Strauss travelled to the West Coast during the height of the Gold Rush in 1853, and established a San Francisco branch of his family’s dry goods business. Establishing himself as a respected local businessman and philanthropist, he received a letter from Jacob Davis, a local tailor and regular customer who needed help bringing his new workwear design to market. Davis aimed to add rivets to high stress points in order to create a pair of trousers more durable than ever before. Shortly thereafter, the two became business partners and received a joint patent for the design on May 20, 1873, now considered the birthday of the modern pair of riveted blue jeans.