Jacob W. Davis developed his riveted trousers in Reno, Nevada.
Davis operated as a tailor in Reno when he devised a way to strengthen trousers by placing copper rivets at vulnerable points. The innovation was practical: workers’ trousers frequently tore at pockets and other areas under strain.
After receiving requests for more pairs, Davis recognized that the invention needed patent protection and a larger manufacturing operation. He contacted Levi Strauss in San Francisco, beginning the partnership that led to the 1873 patent and the commercial growth of riveted denim trousers.
Reno is important to the origin story because the invention did not begin at Levi Strauss’s San Francisco headquarters. Davis created and tested the garment construction in Nevada before joining forces with Strauss.