Still to this day, the Levi’s 501 jeans remain a fashion statement, and on May 20th they celebrated their 147 birthday. Andy Warhol, Brigitte Bardot, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, are among the many icons of the past that wore them. The Levi’s are constantly celebrated by fashion designers all over the world: Tom Ford confessed that “I wished that I was the one who invented the 501”.
But their story started differently. They were patented in 1873 by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis for the West’s pioneers. To the traditional denim, they added copper rivets to reinforce the pockets, that gave life to the blue jeans.
In 1980 the patent for the rivet became public domain and to the product, they gave a three-digit number to distinguish them from any other: 501. In 1901 they sewed a second back pocket to the trousers to satisfies the demands of the man of the time, while 26 years later Cone Mills created the red denim of 10 once in exclusive for Levi’s 501. It’s 1936 when they add for the first time the ‘red tab’ with the white logo on the back pocket.
During the 50s the Levi’s 501 became a must-have among the Hollywood stars, while in the 70s they represented a symbol of rebellion. Only in 1981, they launched the first-ever women style and since then anyone owns a pair.
In 1980 the patent for the rivet became public domain and to the product, they gave a three-digit number to distinguish them from any other: 501. In 1901 they sewed a second back pocket to the trousers to satisfies the demands of the man of the time, while 26 years later Cone Mills created the red denim of 10 once in exclusive for Levi’s 501. It’s 1936 when they add for the first time the ‘red tab’ with the white logo on the back pocket.
During the 50s the Levi’s 501 became a must-have among the Hollywood stars, while in the 70s they represented a symbol of rebellion. Only in 1981, they launched the first-ever women style and since then anyone owns a pair.
Recently they released a new version of the Levi’s 501 exclusively for Japan. The style was made with special Japanese denim and every detail, from the patch on the back to the red tap and label to the packaging and even the buttons, are in Japanese.
