Levi's got its start making clothes for cowboys — now it's a Gen Z status symbol. Here's how the 169-year-old retailer became the world's most iconic denim company.

Avery HartmansNov 22, 2022, 16:44 IST

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Levi's didn't invent denim, but it did invent blue jeans as we know them today.
The 169-year-old retailer has weathered world wars, the Great Depression, and the cyclical nature of fashion.

Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria in 1829.

An 1850s photograph of Levi Strauss.AP Photo

Jeans as we know them today were born decades later when Strauss teamed up with a tailor to create riveted pants.

The Levi Strauss factory in San Francisco in 1882.Ullstein bild via Getty Images

In 1886, Levi's started including a leather patch on its clothing containing a logo with two horses, a logo that's still used today.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

But some Levi's products made during the 1880s bore a troubling reminder of a dark period in US history.

A woman makes jeans at a Levi's factory.Getty image

Throughout the early 1900s, Levi's maintained a reputation as the clothing of choice for laborers and cowboys, an image it leaned into following the Great Depression.

John Wayne wearing Levi's jeans in 1939.Alain BENAINOUS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The 1960s and '70s ushered in a renaissance in American fashion, which further spurred demand for Levi's in the US and abroad.

A Levi's store in Los Angeles in 1975.Bob Cross/Getty Images

In the early 1990s, Levi's helped usher in the concept of casual Fridays, part of a play to help boost its khaki brand, Dockers.

Alexandra Wyman/WireImage

Levi's outfitted the US Olympic team during the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Gymnast Mary Lou Retton during the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

But by the late 1990s, demand for Levi's started to wane.

CP Kevin Frayer/AP

Sales continued to decline for the next decade, but by 2007, Levi's was once again profitable.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

In 2019, Levi's filed to go public once again, at a $6.6 billion valuation.

Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh, right, is joined by CFO Harmit Singh, second from right, as he rings the New York Stock Exchange opening bell on March 21, 2019.AP Photo/Richard Drew

The onset of the pandemic in 2020 hurt Levi's sales. Industry experts began predicting the end of jeans as people remained at home, ensconced in loungewear.

Brendan McDermid/Reuters

By 2021, losses began to shrink, but sales were still down. CEO Chip Bergh acknowledged that "changes look like they're here to stay," including the lingering "casualization" of fashion.

Richard Drew/AP

By 2021, losses began to shrink, but sales were still down. CEO Chip Bergh acknowledged that "changes look like they're here to stay," including the lingering "casualization" of fashion.

Meanwhile, Levi's has become the go-to choice for models, musicians, and the fashion crowd.

Model Bella Hadid wearing a vintage Levi's sweatshirt.Gotham/GC Images

But it's vintage Levi's that have achieved almost Holy Grail status among the fashion-forward and eco-conscious shoppers of younger generations.

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Still, like many retailers, Levi's is growing wary of the months ahead as inflation and fears of a recession scare off shoppers.

Richard Drew/AP

Sally Beauty Supply is closing 350 stores. I visited a location and saw why the company is struggling.

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Levi's got its start making clothes for cowboys &mdash; now it's a Gen Z status symbol. Here's how the 169-year-old retailer became the world's most iconic denim company.

Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria in 1829.

Jeans as we know them today were born decades later when Strauss teamed up with a tailor to create riveted pants.

In 1886, Levi's started including a leather patch on its clothing containing a logo with two horses, a logo that's still used today.

But some Levi's products made during the 1880s bore a troubling reminder of a dark period in US history.

Throughout the early 1900s, Levi's maintained a reputation as the clothing of choice for laborers and cowboys, an image it leaned into following the Great Depression.

The 1960s and '70s ushered in a renaissance in American fashion, which further spurred demand for Levi's in the US and abroad.

In the early 1990s, Levi's helped usher in the concept of casual Fridays, part of a play to help boost its khaki brand, Dockers.

Levi's outfitted the US Olympic team during the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

But by the late 1990s, demand for Levi's started to wane.

Sales continued to decline for the next decade, but by 2007, Levi's was once again profitable.

In 2019, Levi's filed to go public once again, at a $6.6 billion valuation.

The onset of the pandemic in 2020 hurt Levi's sales. Industry experts began predicting the end of jeans as people remained at home, ensconced in loungewear.

By 2021, losses began to shrink, but sales were still down. CEO Chip Bergh acknowledged that "changes look like they're here to stay," including the lingering "casualization" of fashion.

Meanwhile, Levi's has become the go-to choice for models, musicians, and the fashion crowd.

But it's vintage Levi's that have achieved almost Holy Grail status among the fashion-forward and eco-conscious shoppers of younger generations.

Still, like many retailers, Levi's is growing wary of the months ahead as inflation and fears of a recession scare off shoppers.

Levi's got its start making clothes for cowboys — now it's a Gen Z status symbol. Here's how the 169-year-old retailer became the world's most iconic denim company.