Lee introduced the 101Z, one of the earliest jeans with a zipper fly.
The 101Z was introduced in 1926 and adapted Lee’s established workwear construction for easier fastening. Zipper flies were a notable change from the button-fly designs that had dominated early American jeans.
The model is sometimes confused with Lee’s 101 workwear line or with Wrangler’s later cowboy-focused jeans. The “Z” in 101Z is associated with the zipper version, distinguishing it from button-fly variants.
Lee’s move toward zipper-front jeans helped make denim more practical for everyday wear. The 101Z is therefore important not only as a Lee model but also as part of the broader evolution of jeans design.