The Strauss family identifies Levi Strauss & Co., the American apparel company founded in 1853.
Levi Strauss, a German immigrant, moved to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush and established a dry-goods business. In 1873, Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis received a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen work trousers, a landmark in the development of blue jeans. The company’s signature Levi’s 501 model later became an internationally recognized garment.
Levi Strauss & Co. became publicly traded in 2019, but descendants of Levi Strauss retain a significant family connection and shareholder presence. The company is named for Levi Strauss, not for the jeans’ later designers alone. Jacob Davis was essential to the riveted-jeans patent, but he was not the company’s founder.