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Celebrating the 501® Original
It began with a patent back in 1873. A way to add rivets to denim work pants, making them stronger and more durable for a tough day in the mines. These work pants are what we now call blue jeans, the 501® Original, and every year on May 20th we celebrate their invention.
Our 501® jeans are still strong and durable, and yes, many of us still wear them to work — but there’s something else to celebrate. Something you can’t patent: style. Rule-breaking, gender-bending, Wild West, do-what-you-want style. The kind that’s been defining cool for decades. The kind you can only find in a pair of straight-fit, button-fly jeans, loved and live-in to perfection.
From rap to rockabilly, classic rock to country, you’ve seen 501® jeans on stages across every genre of music. They’re a medium for artists to continue their self-expression, a uniform for the scene. In fact, it’s almost impossible to find a musician who doesn’t own a pair of Levi’s®.
Tight. Loose. Shredded. Studded. Today we celebrate the 501® Original. Worn by millions across the world, but never worn the same.
MAKE SOME HISTORY
People have been customizing jeans for decades. Ripping and tearing, studding and patching, writing and painting all over them. In 1973, we took customization to the next level by holding a Denim Art Contest, asking fans to decorate their own Levi’s® and send slides of their work. Some of those jeans still live in our archives and continue to serve as inspiration.
