Founded In 1853, Levi Strauss opened a wholesale dry goods business in San Francisco that became known as Levi Strauss & Co. Seeing a need for work pants that could hold up under rougher conditions, he and Jacob Davis, a tailor, created the first jean. In 1873, they received a U.S. patent for "waist overalls" with metal rivets at points of strain. The first product line designated by the lot number "501" was created in 1890. Today they are one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in denim.