5 jean-ius facts

Denim jeans is a misnomer

In the late 1700s, two cotton fabrics were produced: denim and jean. Denim, originally made in de Nîmes, France, was more durable and thicker than jean, used to make workers’ trousers in Genoa, Italy.

They were almost banned

Jeans gained a ‘bad boy’ image after featuring in movies like Rebel Without A Cause. Schools began banning them, so Levi’s ran a campaign starring a clean-cut, denim-clad kid with the slogan ‘Right for school’.

Levi wasn’t his real name

He was born Loeb Strauss, but like his future business partner, Jacob Davis, he changed his name after immigrating to the US. Eventually Levi set up a wholesale dry goods business in San Francisco.

Duck or denim?

When Levi and Jacob began mass-producing their waist overalls, they manufactured two kinds. One was from blue denim and the other from brown cotton duck — a tough canvas material that was used to cover wagons.

Built to last

In the Levi Strauss & Co archives lies two pairs of jeans dating from the late 1870s or early 1880s, which are thought to be the oldest in existence. Only two people know the combination to the fireproof safe that protects them.