You see them everywhere, worn tight or baggy, cut to ribbons and full of holes. Since at least the 1950s, jeans have gone everywhere.
Invented by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss for use by miners during the California Gold Rush, the heavy duty work trousers feature copper rivets on the pockets. Jacob Davis, a tailor from Nevada, came up with the idea to hold pockets in place and patented the design with Strauss.
When first mass marketed in the 1880s, each pair of Levi's jeans cost $1.25. In 2021, Levi Strauss & Co. posted revenue of $5.8 billion. Levis were made in the U.S. for 150 years until 2003, when the last plant in Texas closed.
Today, each pair requires 1.5 pounds of cotton and still has that tiny pocket sewn into the front. It was meant to hold a pocket watch.
