Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World

by Lynn Downey

Blue jeans are globally beloved and quintessentially American. They symbolize everything from the Old West to the hippie counter-culture; everyone from car mechanics to high-fashion models wears jeans. And no name is more associated with blue jeans than Levi Strauss & Co., the creator of this classic American garment. As a young man Levi Strauss left his home in Germany and immigrated to America. He made his way to San Francisco and by 1853 had started his company. Soon he was a leading businessman in a growing commercial city that was beginning to influence the rest of the nation. Family-centered and deeply rooted in his Jewish faith, Strauss was the hub of a wheel whose spokes reached into nearly every aspect of American business, philanthropy, politics, immigration, transportation, education, and fashion. But despite creating an American icon, Levi Strauss is a mystery. Little is known about the man, and the widely circulated “facts” about his life are steeped in mythology. In this first full-length biography, Lynn Downey sets the record straight about this brilliant businessman. Strauss’s life was the classic American success story, filled with lessons about craft and integrity, leadership and innovation.

Genres: Biography, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

I'm a second generation Californian, a historian of the West, and I aspire to be a full-fledged desert rat. I practice frequently on visits to Nevada and Arizona where I scour the desert for history and stories.

My latest release is "Arequipa Sanatorium: Live in California's Lung Resort for Women." It's a history of the place where my grandmother and hundreds of other women were cured of the dreaded tuberculosis in the early 20th century. https://oupress.com/books/15231554/ar...

My desert rat side just published "Arizona's Vulture Mine and Vulture City." https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Pro...

When I'm not writing I work as a consulting archivist, historian, and curator and have spent time at some great organizations: Charles M. Schulz Museum (Santa Rosa CA), Desert Caballeros Western Museum (Wickenburg AZ) and the Chemehuevi Indian tribe (Lake Havasu City AZ).

Right now I'm researching my next book, a cultural history of the original American vacation: the dude ranch. Then, just to be different, I'll also publish a memoir of the three years I spent in a San Francisco religious cult.

Reviews

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few articles of clothing have been in style as long as levis jeans. They were higher quality working man's clothing over a hundred years ago, and still are today. But also worn by professional men, often paired with tailored tweed jackets and even white shirts. Appropriated by women, young and older. Originally designed to resist rips, the most expensive jeans are now sold artfully pre-torn. How did this all come about? Lynn Downey reveals the story, and it is not an easy one to ferret out. The earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed almost all the company archives, and the family did not seem too interested in preserving personal papers. Downey must have scoured all available newspapers and public records in Levi Strauss' birthplace in Bavaria (Buttenheim), in New York where his brothers first established a dry goods business, and in San Francisco, where Strauss branched out from dry goods to manufacturing clothing. She assembles the verified dates, then fills in the story from the cultural context that produced businessmen such as Strauss. In the process she demolishes numerous myths and apocryphal tales. The inventor of jeans with rivets was actually Jacob Davis, and Strauss immediately saw the utility of the process, got a patent and defended it, and established a successful partnership with him in ca 1870. It is the story of San Francisco's rise as a mercantile center, the story of California and the Gold Rush, the story of Jewish merchants in the West, and the story of how fashions develop. By all accounts Strauss was a savvy businessman, an upstanding citizen, a generous philanthropist, a wise city father, a good uncle, and someone who could build a lasting institution. He had to cope with shiploads of merchandise that sank, fires, thieves, labor unrest, and economic collapses, but managed to thrive in good times and bad. Downey writes that he somehow successfully ignored the normal demands of his culture that would have expected him to marry and have children, but he was very well embedded in the family of his siblings and their spouses and children, living together with the Sterns as part of an extended family. While he was a loyal supporter of Temple Emanu-el, he was ecumenical in his philanthropy, donating to Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and secular good causes such as orphanages and kindergartens. He seems to have looked for common ground where philanthropy would be good for both the community in general and also for his business. That is not all bad. San Francisco had its full share of corruption and skullduggery. But Strauss had a talent for rising above all that. Downey found a couple minor flaws, but the picture is overwhelmingly, and refreshingly positive.

[Denise Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Levi Strauss didn't invent blue jeans or denim or even the copper rivets used to keep the pockets from tearing. But he did know a good thing when he saw it and was able to market copper-rivet pants, along with other sturdy clothing, throughout the West.

Unfortunately, Mr. Strauss left no heirs and any letters or diaries or notes he may have taken were lost in the fire that swept through San Francisco in 1906, four years after his death. Lynn Downey, who was the first in-house historian for Levi Strauss & Co., used contemporary sources, such as the local newspapers in San Francisco, patent documents, advertisements, and other literature to paint a portrait of Mr. Strauss and San Francisco from 1860-1902. She traces his family history, their immigration from Bavaria to New York, then to San Francisco; from peddlers to dry goods wholesalers to a clothing empire. Levi Strauss & Co. made more than denim jeans, outfitting even prisoners in Folsom.

Mr. Strauss was an integral part of San Francisco society as well, including the Committee of Vigilantes, and contributed to charities through his temple and other organizations (he donated to three orphanages: Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic). He employed a lot of women and paid them a decent wage (for the time). He was a "hands on" person, appearing in advertisements, showing up at the warehouse, and inspecting samples.

Although he had no children of his own, his nephews and nieces--the Sterns and the Haases--are still engaged in charitable works in the Bay Area.

Ms. Downey does a good job with the limited material she had. What the book lacks in personal "inside" information about Mr. Strauss, Ms. Downey does a wonderful job capturing what it was like to be an entrepreneur during the early days of San Francisco.

I was fortunate to be able to visit the historic factory on Valencia Street in San Francisco back in the mid-1990's. The factory was no longer making jeans for sale, but was used to develop prototypes and test different fabrics. The company donated enough "remnants" of denim, along with buttons and thread, to make vests for about 150 Cub Scouts at our District Day Camp. There was enough left over to use for another craft project the following year and to share with other Districts. Levi Plaza on Battery Street, near the Embarcadero in San Francisco, is a wonderfully landscape park as well as company headquarters--an oasis open to all.

[Aiman Adlawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about the man behind the iconic clothing brand. I was so curious to know about who was the founder of this brand and how they managed to grow. Strauss family were Jewish and they all migrated to America from Buttenheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany.
What I liked about the story was how the family developed some entrepreneurial skills when they came to America just so they can live and have a good life.
It could have been great if his factory wasn't burned and all documents both personal and business were still kept. Levi Strauss is an iconic century old brand and has to have a biographical movie made from it. Great read.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting biography/nonfiction about the life and times of Levi Strauss. Born in Germany, he left for America and ended up in San Francisco in the 1850’s dealing with imported goods. He met Jacob W. Davis, a customer who invented the the riveted denim pants. Davis partnered with Levi in 1871 to produce the blue jeans.
Never married, he supported his family and encouraged his employees to better their lives.

[Jolayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well written on both the man, Levi Strauss, and his part in the history of jeans in America. It also serves as a very informative history of Northern California, specifically San Francisco.

[Charles Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biography, business history, and San Francisco history. Pretty amazing considering almost every piece of the company's archives perished in the fire after the 1906 earthquake. Downey served for decades as corporate historian (a great field) at Levi Strauss & Co.

[Jeff Platsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as a Levi Strauss bio, this is also a book about the rise of San Francisco as a commercial center. However, I remain skeptical of the picture of Levi Strauss painted by this bio. I have a lingering belief this is a whitewashed version of his life.

[Heather Spiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story.

[Tim lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it

It wasn't as flashy as other business books, but it didn't disappoint. It was a story about Levi Strauss and how he helped popularize Levis