On May 20th, 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis secured a patent (No. 139,121) for “an Improvement in Fastening Pocket Openings.” The West Coast at that time was a loose patchwork of farms, ranches, railroads and gold mines. Jacob Davis—a tailor from Reno, Nevada—had the idea of placing rivets on work pants at points of strain, and joined forces with his denim supplier Levi Strauss in San Francisco. The riveted blue jean was born. Soon, Levi’s® became the clothing of choice for the rugged, hodgepodge band of workers, outcasts, entrepreneurs and outlaws building America’s future. For Spring/Summer 2023, in celebration of the 150th year anniversary of this patent, we pay tribute to their innovation and collaboration.

The year was 1947 and although the war had ended, the nation was much changed—and so were 501® jeans. The end of rations allowed for the return of some familiar 501® features, like the watch pocket rivets. But it also ushered in some updates in response to the changing time and emerging middle class, like a modern, slimmer fit and the removal of extraneous details like the cinch and suspender buttons. And while the back pocket arcuate was no longer applied with paint as it was during the war, it had certainly changed. Thanks to new double-needle technology, the famed double-arched stitch could be mass-produced in uniform size and design, no longer subject to the sewing skills of the individual worker.

Today, we reproduce all of these details using the same 12 oz. red line selvedge denim to create our 1947 Men's 501® jeans.

• An archival reproduction of our 1947 501® jeans and a reflection of the changing times
• Designed
• Made with watch pocket rivets for the first time since the start of the war
• Features uniform arcuates on the back pockets, facilitated by double-needle technology
• Constructed with two back pockets with concealed rivets
• Finished with a big “E” single sided Red Tab™
• Iconic Two Horse leather patch
• Better clothes. Better choices. We made this garment with organically grown cotton, which uses no synthetic pesticides and saves water.
• Crafted in premium Japanese selvedge denim from the renowned Kaihara Mill