Strauss, Levi

(1829-1902)

   Born in Bavaria, Strauss immigrated to San Francisco at twenty years of age by way of New York, where, in 1849, he opened a dry goods store at the height of the California Gold Rush. He soon began manufacturing pants made of a cotton fabric from France called serge de Nimes (later called denim). In 1873, his company, Levi Strauss & Co., created a stitching design on the back pockets and in 1886 created the now famous "two-horse" design. In 1936, it added a red tab on the left pocket as a way to identify the brand at a distance, all of which are registered trademarks.

   See also Jeans.