Blue Bell introduced Wrangler’s 13MWZ cowboy jeans in 1947.
Blue Bell, an American workwear company, developed the Wrangler brand for Western clothing. It hired tailor Bernard Lichtenstein, known as Rodeo Ben, to help design jeans suited to professional rodeo riders. The resulting 13MWZ model was introduced in 1947 and became one of the best-known cowboy-jeans designs.
The model name referred to Wrangler’s product coding system: “13” identified the fabric weight category, “MWZ” stood for Men’s Western Zipper, and the number distinguished the style. The jeans were built for riding, with features intended to work comfortably under Western conditions.
Wrangler later became strongly associated with rodeo and Western performance wear. Blue Bell, rather than Levi Strauss or Lee, was the company behind the Wrangler launch. That distinction matters because all three firms played major roles in American denim history but developed separate brand identities.