What is the appeal of the “505,” Levi’s first jeans developed for fashion?

Levi’s” is known as the brand that created the prototype of jeans. In its history of more than 150 years since its establishment, the brand has sent out many masterpieces, but there are models that are familiar to customers as standard items. These are the “501,” “505,” and “517. This time, we focus on the “505,” which is one of the three major models. This time, we will focus on the “505,” one of the three major models, and look at the appeal of the jeans that were first produced as a fashion item by the brand.

What is the history of “Levi’s,” known as the creator of jeans?

In 1853, Levi Strauss came to San Francisco from Germany as an immigrant. He opened a general merchandise store dealing in clothing, which was the beginning of ” Levi’s “. At the time when gold mining was active, gold miners asked for “durable work clothes,” which led to the creation of canvas work pants, the predecessor of jeans. These pants were then updated with denim material to make them even more durable, and a model in “indigo blue” was introduced. He was constantly experimenting with ways to improve the durability of his pants when he received an idea from a tailor, Jacob Davis, to reinforce the pockets with rivets, a nail-like component used to join the pockets. They immediately began working on an item that incorporated the specifications and jointly patented it. This moment marked the completion of the first pair of jeans that would later become lot number ” 501 ” and are still worn by many to this day.

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From the 1800s to the early 1900s, jeans were popularized as “workers’ clothing,” and later became very popular among college students on the West Coast and soldiers during World War II, who appreciated the high quality of the jeans. As history progressed, jeans were updated with designs that were easy to use in everyday life while retaining work-related details, and jeans became popular as an everyday item of clothing. Today, jeans continue to reign as an indispensable fashion staple.

Focusing on the three details that symbolize Levi’s!

(1) “The ‘two horse mark’ is an indispensable part of Levi’s.

The “Two Horse Mark” is an iconic detail of Levi’s. In 1890, the patent for the rivet was lost, and Levi’s created a similar product “reinforcing pockets with rivets”. The patch on the back waist was adopted in order to distinguish it from other products, considering the fact that similar products were likely to be available. The logo means “jeans that are strong enough not to tear even if pulled by two horses,” and since the people who wear them are not only those who understand English, a striking logo that can be recognized at a glance as Levi’s was adopted.

(2) “Arcuate stitching” is another important detail that identifies them as Levi’s from the back.

The “Arcuate Stitch” on the back pocket, which resembles a bow, is also an important detail that symbolizes Levi’s. The history of this detail is surprisingly long. The history of this detail is surprisingly old; in fact, it was first adopted in 1873 to hold the reinforcing fabric on the back of the pockets. The story goes that it was omitted during World War II when supplies were controlled, but was replaced by “stencil paint” (paint stitches). Since the paint disappears after washing, it was often judged to be a fake at the time.

Feature (3): “Red tag,” a symbol that differs depending on the period

The “red tag” is placed on the side of the back pocket. This is another detail that was adopted to distinguish them from copies. The color and design differs depending on the year, so it is a point that tickles men’s interest to know when the product was manufactured just by looking at this tag. The red tag is used for general Levi’s, but the black or white color is used for the season limited models. It would be interesting to check the color of this tag when looking for vintage Levi’s.