Levi's introduced its orange tab in 1969 for fashion-focused denim styles.
The orange tab helped Levi Strauss & Co. distinguish newer, fashion-oriented products from its traditional red-tab jeans. During this period, the company was expanding beyond its best-known workwear image and developing fits aimed at changing youth fashion.
Orange-tab garments became associated with styles such as bell-bottoms, flares and other trend-led denim. The tab was a branding device, not a different type of fabric or a guarantee of a particular fit.
People sometimes confuse the orange tab with Levi's red tab, which had been used since 1936. The two labels served different product and positioning purposes, while both helped identify Levi's garments.