Which company, founded by a Bavarian immigrant, made the first riveted blue jeans?

Which company, founded by a Bavarian immigrant, made the first riveted blue jeans? Levi Strauss & Co. made them. Levi Strauss, born Löb Strauß in Bavaria in 1829, immigrated to the United States and established his dry-goods business in San Francisco in 1853.

The famous jeans resulted from a partnership between Strauss and Jacob Davis, a tailor who reinforced trouser pockets and stress points with copper rivets. Davis patented the design in 1873, with Strauss listed as a co-patentee. The rivets helped work trousers survive the strain faced by miners, laborers, and railroad workers.

The original garments were made from sturdy denim and became known as “waist overalls” before “jeans” became the usual term. A common mix-up is crediting Levi Strauss alone: Strauss supplied the business foundation, while Davis developed the riveted construction. Other brands such as Lee, Wrangler, and Diesel became important later, but they did not make the first patented riveted blue jeans.