👖 Levi's 501s: The World’s 1st Jeans | 6

Summary

The Best Idea Yet: The Iconic Journey of Levi’s 501 Jeans

Episode Release Date: November 19, 2024 | Hosts: Nick Martell & Jack Crivici-Kramer | Knowledge Cutoff: October 2023

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Introduction

In this episode of The Best Idea Yet, hosts Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer delve deep into the storied history of one of the most iconic products in fashion: Levi's 501 jeans. From their humble beginnings during the California Gold Rush to their status as a global fashion staple, this episode uncovers the untold origin stories, bold business decisions, and cultural phenomena that propelled Levi’s 501s to legendary status.

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Levi Strauss: From Bavarian Immigrant to San Francisco Entrepreneur (05:28 - 07:17)

The story begins in 1853 with Levi Strauss, a 24-year-old Bavarian Jewish immigrant arriving in the booming city of San Francisco amidst the California Gold Rush. Recognizing an untapped market, Strauss supplies miners and settlers with essential goods, laying the foundation for what would become Levi Strauss & Co.

Notable Quote:

Jack Crivici-Kramer (07:07): "He's supplying all the general stores in boom towns that have sprung up all over the west with the materials needed to make everything from handkerchiefs to underwear."

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Jacob Davis: The Tailor Who Revolutionized Workwear (09:12 - 12:48)

Enter Jacob Davis, a Latvian immigrant and tailor struggling to establish his business amidst multiple failed ventures. By 1872, Davis masters the craft of sewing sturdy workwear using duck cloth, a strong off-white canvas material supplied by Levi Strauss. A serendipitous moment occurs when Davis adds copper rivets to reinforce the pockets of trousers for a sick neighbor, inadvertently creating a durable design that garners attention and demand.

Notable Quote:

Nick Martell (12:22): "Jacob eyes the back pocket of his pants and thinks, 'I think I'm gonna make something with this.'"

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The Partnership That Changed Fashion (16:49 - 20:42)

Recognizing the potential, Jacob Davis approaches Levi Strauss with a proposal to patent the reinforced jeans. Levi Strauss agrees, forming a pivotal partnership that leads to the official creation of the Levi's 501s in 1873. This collaboration not only secures a patent but also combines Davis's design ingenuity with Strauss's robust distribution network.

Notable Quote:

Nick Martell (19:23): "Jacob wants Levi Strauss to file the patent form listing Jacob as the inventor. And for that, he'll give Levi Strauss and company half the rights to sell the product."

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Branding and the Two-Horse Patch (23:37 - 25:07)

As the patent nears expiration in 1890, Levi Strauss & Co. strategically enhances their branding to differentiate their jeans from inevitable knockoffs. They introduce the Two-Horse Patch, a leather label featuring two horses attempting to pull apart a pair of jeans, symbolizing durability and strength. This visual branding effectively communicates quality to a diverse, often non-English-speaking customer base.

Notable Quote:

Jack Crivici-Kramer (23:53): "There's a pair of jeans hooked up to two horses, each pulling in different directions. The caption on top says, 'It's no use. They can't be ripped.'"

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Hollywood’s Role in Elevating Levi's 501s (27:20 - 30:31)

Levi's 501s gain significant cultural traction through Hollywood. Iconic figures like John Wayne and Marlon Brando don these jeans in Westerns and rebellious roles, respectively. This association transforms the 501s from mere workwear to symbols of rugged individualism and youth rebellion, broadening their appeal beyond manual laborers.

Notable Quote:

Nick Martell (28:37): "When Johnny Depp stars in 1939's Stagecoach, he wears a pair of high cuffed Levi's 501s that help establish the pants as the silver screen cowboy uniform."

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Global Influence and Symbolism in East Germany (35:56 - 38:16)

The cultural impact of Levi's 501s transcends American borders, notably influencing fashion in East Germany during the Cold War. Banned in the communist Eastern Bloc, Levi’s jeans become a coveted symbol of freedom and Western capitalism. The black market surge for genuine Levi’s mirrors their status as a symbol of rebellion and personal freedom.

Notable Quote:

Jack Crivici-Kramer (36:25): "For young East Germans living in this communist region, Levi's aren't just about being trendy. They symbolize freedom. They symbolize rebellion."

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Marketing Evolution and Modern Adaptations (39:06 - 42:08)

Levi Strauss & Co. adeptly navigates the shifting landscape of fashion and marketing from the MTV era to the rise of fast fashion. Innovative advertising campaigns in the 1980s, featuring evocative imagery and celebrity endorsements like Bruce Springsteen, reinforce the 501s' premium and enduring appeal. Despite challenges, including shifts in manufacturing and competition, the 501s remain a cornerstone of Levi's portfolio.

Notable Quote:

Jack Crivici-Kramer (39:46): "These ads position 501s as something premium, as something special to take care of."

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Cultural Relevance and Resale Market (40:58 - 42:19)

The advent of fast fashion paradoxically boosts the desirability of vintage Levi's 501s. A burgeoning resale market for high-quality, heavyweight denim underscores the enduring legacy and craftsmanship of the original jeans. This trend is amplified by Gen Z influencers, further cementing the 501s' status in contemporary fashion.

Notable Quote:

Nick Martell (42:08): "A single style of jeans is almost a billion-dollar brand."

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Conclusion: Lessons from Levi's 501s (43:03 - 44:08)

The hosts encapsulate the essence of Levi's success through two key takeaways:

1. The Cup Holder Effect: Small, thoughtful details—like the rivets and the Two-Horse Patch—can significantly enhance a product's appeal and marketability.

2. Story Selling: Levi's masterfully weaves a compelling narrative around their product, emphasizing durability, rebellion, and cultural significance to maintain relevance across generations.

Notable Quotes:

Jack Crivici-Kramer (43:08): "Those little tiny features were the cup holders."

Nick Martell (43:31): "They are denim pioneers... selling the story of their durability, their rebelliousness, and even their connection to western democracy."

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Fun Facts and Trivia (44:28 - 47:05)

To wrap up, the hosts share intriguing tidbits about Levi's 501s:

• Pre-Shrunk Jeans: Levi's introduced pre-shrunk jeans in 1967, allowing for better fit retention post-wash.

• Pop Culture Appearances: From Star Wars to legendary rock stars, the 501s have been immortalized in various media.

• Durability Tests: A 2023 Latvian experiment pitted Levi's against local horses, with the horses triumphing—highlighting that even the most iconic products have their limits.

Notable Quote:

Nick Martell (45:21): "Levi's 501s is the best Idea yet."

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Final Thoughts

Levi's 501 jeans exemplify how a combination of innovative design, strategic partnerships, effective branding, and cultural integration can create a timeless product. Their journey from reinforced workwear to a global fashion icon offers valuable insights into product development, marketing, and the importance of storytelling in building a lasting brand.

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Interested in learning about other iconic products? Drop your suggestions in the comments or reviews, and Nick and Jack will explore them in future episodes of The Best Idea Yet!

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Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to new episodes early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ today.

Transcript

[Nick Martel]

Wondery plus subscribers can listen to the best idea yet, early and ad free right now.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Join Wonder plus in the Wonder app or on Apple Podcasts. Nick, we had a funny Kramer family Christmas morning tradition.

[Nick Martel]

What was it, Jack?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

We all open gifts one brother at a time. And the rule was if you got clothing, you had to try it on before the next gift could be open.

[Nick Martel]

Well, that's tough.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

That's to now, the most dreadful gift in this era was when you were gifted jeans.

[Nick Martel]

Can't imagine.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Because you had to try them on in front of the whole family. And jeans are so challenging to get the right fit.

[Nick Martel]

I mean, Jack, full disclosure, I wouldn't have worked in your family because I've never worn a pair of jeans, man.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

That's right. You're such a khakis guy. You're chinos all the way.

[Nick Martel]

You know, you go stretch chinos. It's a pretty good vibe.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Jack, there was one time you wore jeans.

[Nick Martel]

I don't really feel comfortable sharing it on the podcast, Jack, but if you.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Insist we all share the story, because they were my genes. So.

[Nick Martel]

It's 2012.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Nick and I had just graduated from college. We were bumping to Avicii's levels every weekend. It was like the song of our generation for a couple years.

[Nick Martel]

But, Jack, when I got invited to that Avicii concert, I basically thought, how am I gonna fit in with all the Avicii fans? And the only way I knew how was wearing jeans.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

You figured surrounded by bumping EDM Fans, dancing to DJs like, Avicii, you need skinny jeans.

[Nick Martel]

Yeah, I basically thought, if I show up in khakis, I'm not getting into the concert. And from what I understand, Jack, although I haven't been in this situation, you'd spend about twice as much time back then in the dressing room if you were trying on jeans instead of khakis.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Who amongst us hasn't been burnt by a clothing ad you swiped through on TikTok or Instagram? You make an impulse buy only to find out that your new slim fits are basically made of paper.

[Nick Martel]

Yeah, it could ruin an Avicii concert. But yetis, there is one pair of jeans that has been through all the ups and all the downs, literally, of the entire pants industry. One pair with a cult following because the fabric's followed your legs for your entire life. And this pair of jeans went viral over 150 years ago.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The Levi's 501.

[Nick Martel]

Yes. Not straight fit, not skinny fit, not.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Slim fit, original fit.

[Nick Martel]

Levi's 501's. The best selling 5 pocket Jean of all time. And they're the original. Going back over 150 years. Literally.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

They hold the original patent for riveted pants which became known as blue jeans.

[Nick Martel]

Literally. Since then, the Levi's 501 has hugged the backsides of miners, of ranchers, of farmhands, of factory workers, and of Hollywood stars and starlets.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The story of 501 is also the story of Levi Strauss and company. The company that built its fortune during the California gold rush of 1849.

[Nick Martel]

And incredibly, Levi's is still on top 170 years later. Jack, could you sprinkle on that context we discovered about the brand?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

A 2023 YouGov poll ranked Levi's the number one most popular clothing and footwear in America.

[Nick Martel]

That's more popular than Hanes and more popular than Adidas.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

It's more popular than Nike.

[Nick Martel]

And today the global denim jeans market is valued at over $70 billion.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Levi's built that and they did it by leaning into the core features customers just couldn't live without. Features vital to a pair of 501s to this day.

[Nick Martel]

And we're also going to learn a little known fact about the Levi's 501s. Jack, you want to drop a little spoiler here?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

They weren't invented by Levi Strauss at all.

[Nick Martel]

No, that title actually fall to a little known entrepreneur from Latvia. But it's Strauss and co that takes these button fly beauties from old timey work pant to American icon. Jack, you might say that the Levi's 501s are the pants that have traveled through time.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Traveling pants.

[Nick Martel]

Yes.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Sounds like the name of a great movie.

[Nick Martel]

Let's make it happen. Yetis and besties whip out a mirror because there are so many great angles to this story. It's going to take us from the old west to the Hollywood cowboys and from the fall of the Berlin wall to Brad Pitt's abs. All 12.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Stick around to hear why Levi's 501 jeans is the best idea yet.

[Nick Martel]

From wonder and T Boy. I'm Nick Martel.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And I'm Jack Crevici Kramer.

[Nick Martel]

And this is the best idea yet. The untold origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk takers that brought them to life. I got that feeling again. Something familiar but no, we got it coming to you. I got that feeling again.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

They changed the game in one move. It's how they don't go. This episode is sponsored by Abbott. Let's talk about a small thing that can make a big difference if you have diabetes. The Freestyle Libre 3 sensor it's amazing how the sensor gives you real time glucose readings so you can see the impact of every meal and every activity to make better choices. The Freestyle Libre 3 sensor can help you live life with diabetes on your terms. You can try it free at FreestyleLibre US offer available for people who qualify. Visit MyFreestyle US to see all terms and conditions. Certain exclusions apply for prescription only Safety info found @freestylelibre us.

[Nick Martel]

Yetis it's May in San Francisco and down on the waterfront. It's chilly, but the sun, it's just burned off the morning fog and sparkles off the churning bay. But there's no ferry building yet and there's no blue bottle coffee yet either because the year is 1853 and a 24 year old Bavarian Jewish immigrant stands on the wooden planks just outside his storefront.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Yeah Nick, there is also no sidewalk yet the side of the streets is just a few two by fours between people's shoes and the mud.

[Nick Martel]

Well, this man is watching with pride as his name is hung above the door in front of him. Levi Strauss.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Back in the old country, Levi was Bor born Loeb. He came to America before he turns 18 and he goes right to work, working for his older brothers in the wholesale dry goods business in New York City.

[Nick Martel]

Now besties. Just as a heads up, that doesn't mean working the counter in some shop, it means peddling their wares house to house on foot, first in New York City and then all the way down in Louisville, Kentucky as he's making his.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Way south, selling products as he goes, Levi would have to wash his socks in a stream at night and hang them on the bushes hoping they're dry in the morning. If Levi's is a rags to riches story, this part is literally the rags.

[Nick Martel]

But now this man, Levi, he's leaving New York City for San Francisco and he's arriving along with more than 30,000 newcomers. Because this town that had only 1,000 people in total just five years earlier is now flooded with people. There aren't even bridges connecting it to anything.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

But there's gold.

[Nick Martel]

Yes, there is. Jack.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Starting in 1849, word gets out that California has gold and thousands and thousands of folks are rushing into the foothills of California with a pickaxe and a dream.

[Nick Martel]

But here's the funny thing, Yetis Levi, he's not here to pan for gold. These prospectors, they need clothes and they need boots and they need tools. And to Levi this is an untapped market. So Strauss quickly becomes one of the most successful wholesalers in all of San Francisco.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

He's supplying all the general stores in boom towns that have sprung up all over the west with the materials needed to make everything from handkerchiefs to underwear. Anything miners needed to survive.

[Nick Martel]

Well, Jack, we have to talk about your pronunciation of handkerchiefs in a moment. But in the meantime, miners, ranchers, and pioneer families, pretty soon they're all wearing Levi Strauss's fabrics. And by the end of the Civil War, just eight years after he first arrived, Levi has sent about $4 million home to his family. Jack, could you whip out our inflation calculator and tell us what that stands for in current money?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

That's over $72 million in today's money, Nick. That's a staggering amount.

[Nick Martel]

Huge. I didn't expect that.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Remember, just a few years earlier, he was washing his socks in a stream.

[Nick Martel]

And what Levi is really doing here is actually a classic business concept that was born from this very experience. Levi isn't targeting the gold, he's targeting the gold miners.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Because mining for gold is a risky business. Oh, yeah, they may make a ton of money in the Golden Hills or they may find nothing, but either way, Levi's is selling them something they need. So he's making money no matter what. This is called selling shovels to the gold rush. But while Levi can't seem to miss, there is this other entrepreneur who can't seem to catch a break.

[Nick Martel]

Besties. This next man story has so many parallels with Levi's, you'd think they were cut from the same cloth. His name, Jakophus. He's also a young European Jewish immigrant. And he arrives in 1854 from Riga, part of Russia that eventually becomes Latvia. He too, Anglicizes his name and Jakob Ufis becomes Jacob Davis.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Just like Levi, Jacob dreams of getting rich by supplying goods to prospectors. But that's where the similarities end.

[Nick Martel]

Jacob becomes a tailor, but he has trouble getting that business off the ground. So he invests in just a whole bunch of different endeavors, from breweries to coal mines to pork, but all of them end up cratering within six months.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Unfortunately, what makes you a good tailor doesn't necessarily make you a good brewer.

[Nick Martel]

Or a good venture capitalist. Jack.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Or a good coal miner.

[Nick Martel]

Yeah, it's kind of like what makes you good at building electric cars and rockets doesn't necessarily make you good at running a social media app. But by 1870, 40 year old Jacob has settled in Reno, Nevada with his wife and their six Kids. And he's through with the breweries, he's done with the pork industry, and he's making a living off of sewing things that pioneers and settlers need. We're talking tents, we're talking wagon covers, we're talking horse blankets.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Jacob makes these things using this really strong off white canvas material called duck cloth.

[Nick Martel]

Duck cloth, I like the name.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And his supplier for that. Duck cloth. Yes, Jack is one Levi Strauss and company.

[Nick Martel]

And after years of instability, the tailor is finally breaking even. Until one fateful night, one night that would go down as a milestone in casual fashion history. It's the holidays, but Jacob Davis, he's working. He's actually working in his tailor shop, when suddenly, out of nowhere, there is this frantic knocking at the door. It's a woman who lives across the railroad tracks, and her husband is sick with a little something called dropsy, which, honestly, Jack, is the most 1870 sounding disease in the world today.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Dropsy is called edema. It's when there's fluid retention that can cause serious swelling in your body.

[Nick Martel]

It's a real problem for Jacob's neighbor because even without the dropsy, this labor is freaking huge. He's just a large man, Jack, and now he's sick, his legs are swollen. His wife can't even find a pair of pants that actually fit him.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The poor guy is just sitting pantsless at his house.

[Nick Martel]

So his wife pleads with Jacob to make her husband a custom pair of trousers that meet two criteria. Jack, what do we got?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Number one, they've got to be worker tough because this guy's a minor. Number two, they've got to fit a gentleman of this man's size.

[Nick Martel]

So Jacob writes this down, and he starts thinking about all those horse blankets and wagon covers that he's been making. And Jack, that is a whole lot of fabric right there.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Jacob tells her to take his measurements. He charges her $3 to be paid in advance, and he promises he'll have these new pants done before the new year.

[Nick Martel]

So Jacob takes a bolt of duck clothes and he starts stitching. When he's done, he's made some of the sturdiest pants around for his big bone neighbor. And just then, a happy accident changes the future of fashion forever. Because Jacob, sitting there at his workbench, he's admiring his craftsmanship when he notices a few loose fasteners on the table. Specifically a fistful of copper rivets.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

He usually uses these rivets to fasten straps onto the horse blankets, but pants don't have straps. So these rivets are just left over.

[Nick Martel]

And that's when Jacob eyes the back pocket of his pants. He's just sewn. He's like, looking back there and he thinks, you know what? The exterior back pocket, It's a feature of nearly all work pants at the time. But it is a well known fact that these back pockets always guaranteed 100% will rip in the line of duty.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

So when this guy finds a handful of extra copper rivets on his table, he thinks to himself, I think I'm gonna make something with this.

[Nick Martel]

By the gods of Calvin Klein, I think I got something here, Jack. Then he adds those rivets to those pockets, plus a bonus rivet on the groin just to mess with us, which also tends to tear. So he delivers the pants to the pantsless man across the tracks.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Before January's out, he has four more orders for the same style as the big guy. Thick duck cloth, fabric, riveted pockets. Then 10 more the next month, then a dozen. Fast forward 18 months to 1872, and this humble tailor, who was barely squeaking by has made over 200 pairs.

[Nick Martel]

These work pants are gaining some traction, Jack. To quote the great philosopher Mogattu, these pants, so hot right now.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Jacob is making them with a couple different fabrics, which he's sourcing directly from Levi Strauss. Some are that off white duck cloth, and others are from a darker, slightly thinner, but still sturdy material that you might recognize called denim.

[Nick Martel]

Denim. Now, Jack, we should probably clarify that Jacob Davis did not invent denim, and neither did Levi Strauss. In fact, this denim fabric has actually been around since the late 1500s. Yeah, we're talking the renaissance.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

This is a wild fact about denim that you can pull out of your pocket at your next dinner party.

[Nick Martel]

Jack, I feel like we should jump in T boy style to this quickly denim fabric. Where can we trace it to?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

It can be traced back to two European cities. Genoa, Italy, and Nimes, France.

[Nick Martel]

Right, so the word denim probably comes from the French phrase denime, and the.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Word jeans probably comes from the word gen, which is how you say Genoa in French.

[Nick Martel]

That's right. Besties. America's favorite jeans and denim actually got named after two European cities half a millennium ago. The Levi's won't actually use the word jeans for about another 70 years. We'll get to that in a bit. Keep your pants on.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The reason workers are going crazy for Jacob's signature pants isn't the material. It's those rivets.

[Nick Martel]

Now, Yetis, this is actually a business strategy. Jack and I talk about all the the Cupholder effect.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

It's when one detail sells the entire product.

[Nick Martel]

For car buyers, cup holders specifically, their placement, their size and their quantity are a shockingly important factor in the entire car buying process.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Cup holders cost like nothing to produce, but they're so meaningful for the customer's opinion of the product.

[Nick Martel]

And that's exactly how customers are thinking about these rivets on these new pants. One small piece of metal that could save them from embarrassing rips and tears. And if a miner actually finds gold, he can now toss it in his back pocket without fear. Fear of the material giving way. So as these orders pour in, Jacob Davis is starting to realize something. This could be his moment. These super strong work pants could be his ticket to success. But to capitalize on his invention, he's gonna need a little help. This episode is sponsored by Abbott. Let's talk about a small thing that can make a big difference if you have diabetes. The Freestyle Libre 3 plus sensible. It's amazing to see how the sensor gives you real time glucose readings so you can see the impact of every meal and activity. To make better choices, the Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor can help you live life with diabetes on your terms. You can try it for free at freestylelibre.us. offer available for people who qualify. Visit MyFreestyle US to see all terms and conditions. Certain exclusions apply for prescription only safety info found@freestylelibre us. So it's 1872. Jacob Davis, that previously unlucky tailor, has just invented the riveted work pants. And they're becoming a minor sensation. Jacob wants to patent his work to protect himself from all the imitators he expects are coming and going to Zuck and copy his ideas. Good foresight.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

But we mentioned Jacob Davis is married. His wife's name is Anna.

[Nick Martel]

And this poor woman, she stuck with Jacob during every move and every failure. Like the tobacco shop he invested in the pork wholesaling gambit. Jack, I think there was a bowling alley. I can't remember exactly, but there was a lot of missed opportunities there. Well, Jacob dragged his whole poor family, six kids and counting, all over North America's western frontier, chasing success. Success.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

But for Mrs. Davis, there's no guarantee this whole rivet pants thing is going to pay off. And patents that requires lawyers and lawyers cost money.

[Nick Martel]

There is just no more money left for a third patent, much less the money to challenge any future violations in court. But Jack, there is one other question here, right? It's capacity. Because Jacob's like, still one guy running the whole operation, right?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Man and his track record for growing a business is not great, but he.

[Nick Martel]

Has one idea that could help this company. His fabric supplier, Levi Strauss.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Now, Levi's doesn't make finished clothes yet, or even the raw materials. They source the fabric from other manufacturers. But if anyone can figure out how to put together a functional riveted pants operation, Jacob figures it's Levi. So he writes Levi a letter, which.

[Nick Martel]

Is like the 1870 equivalent of DMing Mark Cuban.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Picture Levi, now 43 years old, in his newly built offices on Battery street in San Francisco, which is not that far from where Levi's is still based today.

[Nick Martel]

He's sitting at his desk, and he peers down at a crinkled letter postmarked from Reno, Nevada. It's from a pharmacist writing on behalf of a tailor named Jacob Davis.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

English isn't Jacob's first language, so he's asked the pharmacist to help him write a letter.

[Nick Martel]

That letter, it actually contains a check for 300 to pay the balance of Jacob's business account. See, he's been buying a whole ton of duck cloth and denim from Levi's lately. So Jacob explains why, and he describes his new rivet pants and how he just can't even make them fast enough. And the price that he's selling them for is $3 a pair for the duck cloth, $2.50 for the denim.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Now, if $3,250 sounds low, $3 is actually close to a full day's wage for a laborer at the time, and it's almost four times the price of the current wholesale rate for other work pants. So, Nick, this new pants design is a profit pup. Huge potential here.

[Nick Martel]

And Jacob, he knows he's onto something. He actually mailed a couple samples of the pants to Levi, and Levi has to admit they look damn good. So he reads down to the heart of the letter.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Jacob wants Levi Strauss to feed two birds with one scone. He wants him to file the patent form listing Jacob as the inventor. And for that, he'll give Levi Strauss and company half the rights to sell the product.

[Nick Martel]

Oh, half the rights, Jack, how much is that patent going to set them back?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

68 bucks.

[Nick Martel]

Okay, so Levi Strauss is buying a 50% stake in these jeans for $68. That is less than 1,800 bucks today.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

What we're saying is Levi's got in on jeans at a $136 valuation.

[Nick Martel]

Jack, as you're saying that, this literally sounds like a deal from Shark Tank.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

It's like partnering with Mr. Wonderful.

[Nick Martel]

Although I feel like Mr. Wonderful wonderful would not be a fan of the groin rivet. I feel like he's out for that one originally.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

But again, he's getting a lot more than just the money to finally file a patent application.

[Nick Martel]

That's right, because he's also getting a partner. Someone who has the infrastructure, the network and the reach to grow this business fast. Levi Strauss & Co. Already supplies stores across North America. If Levi's can bring rivet pants to the masses, then the profit ceiling is going to be way higher than what Jacob can pull off on his own. So on May 20, 1873, the pair receives power patent number 139121 for improvement in fastening pocket openings.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And how Similar are these 1873 pants to the Levi's 501 jeans we note today?

[Nick Martel]

Actually, Jack, shockingly similar. Like besides the rivets naturally, other things you might recognize on the jeans are a button fly and a little watch pocket. And Jack, there's also that gold stitching on the back pocket jeans that makes a V. And it's called the arcuate stitching. It's actually a signature of Levi's to this day.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

But honestly, I'm surprised it went with the button fly. Yes, maybe the least efficient feature of a pair of pants ever.

[Nick Martel]

This is actually reason number two why I don't wear jeans. Because in a bathroom situation, you don't want to waste time.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

It's a no brainer.

[Nick Martel]

But Jack, I did get curious about this and there's actually a good reason why jeans have those button flies, man.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Why is it?

[Nick Martel]

Well, modern zippers actually weren't invented for like another 20 years, which is a story for another pod. As for what's changed though, since the 1873 model, the small differences are actually kind of fun. You know, the original jeans didn't have belt loops. And the reason why. Jack.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Suspenders.

[Nick Martel]

Yeah. Oh, also these old jeans have only one back pocket, not two, and a little cinch at the back to adjust the waist size.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

This is one of those things that as an adult, I'm jealous of toddlers for. Yes, Jack, toddlers have adjustable waist pants. Why can't we.

[Nick Martel]

That is totally, totally fair fashion feedback or feed forward if you know, you know.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

But Nick, with the patent in hand, it's official.

[Nick Martel]

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis are in business. Jacob is selling his tailor shop to Strauss and becomes production manager of their new line of rivet pants. And while Jacob is focused on manufacturing, Levi is thinking about branding.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Because the imitators, they're coming.

[Nick Martel]

Yeah.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And when Someone copies your function. There's only one way to stand out.

[Nick Martel]

Now, today we call them blue jeans, but in the late 1800s, they were actually called, get this, waist overalls. That's right. W A I S T. Because they are pants and overalls, because laborers wear them over all of their regular clothes.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

I'm trying to imagine the genuine song in those waist overalls.

[Nick Martel]

Jack. What about apple bottom waist overalls by Flo Rida?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Or how about when Elton John says, blue waist overalls, baby Louisiana lady.

[Nick Martel]

But don't worry, besties Levi Strauss, he's going to get their branding down very, very soon, because he has to. You see that patent that he and Jacob have worked so hard to secure? They only have it for 17 years. After that patent protection expires. By 1890, the use of rivets and denim work pants, that's going to become public domain. So they have got to do something to differentiate their pants from the knockoffs ASAP.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

They need their Chanel Cs or Louis.

[Nick Martel]

Vuitton LVs or their Juicy Couture JCs, Yetis Levi's. They're going a little more literal, though, on this.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

They want people to think of their waist overalls as the sturdiest, strongest brand around. So in 1886, his designers create a logo that can be printed on the leather patch on the back of every pair of Levi's.

[Nick Martel]

They call it the Two Horse patch.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

I've never actually looked at this patch before. Like, I'm aware it's there, but I've never looked closely at it. There's a pair of jeans hooked up to two horses, each pulling in different directions. There are also two horse drivers getting ready to whip the horses if they don't get going. So the horses are trying to tear the jeans in half. Now, the caption on top says, it's no use. They can't be ripped.

[Nick Martel]

That is Levi's famous two Horses logo. And it's more than a fun little New Yorker cartoon on the back of your pants. It's actually a statement logo designed for a customer base that includes non English speakers and folks who can't read. So you don't have to know that English caption in order to understand these are unripable pants.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Horses trying to draw and quarter a pair of pants is universal language.

[Nick Martel]

So Levi's, they become known as the two Horse brand, and they'll be called that well into the next century. And all of this is being put to good use when their patent expires in 1890. And along with the two horse logo. Levi's does something else that's going to help set them apart from all the copycats.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Previously they've been calling their waist overalls the xx, as in double extra strong. But in 1890, they start naming their products with numbers.

[Nick Martel]

Okay, that feels like an important development, Jack, because at this point Levi Levi's.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Is also making denim jackets and other clothes meant for hard manual labor. All of them have rivets, naturally, and.

[Nick Martel]

They want it to be easy for these customers to place orders for exactly what they want and for Levi's to innovate on styles and cuts without confusing people. So the lot number for their OG waist overalls becomes 501, baby. 501. It's the 501 between Jacob Davis Eye for tailoring and Levi Strauss Nose for marketing. The 501s they take off. In fact, Levi's become so synonymous with what we would call jeans that they'll one day have to trademark their own company name.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Like how in the south all soda is referred to as Coke.

[Nick Martel]

Exactly, Jack. Levi's. It's the Coke of denim. Levi Strauss. He never marries or has children. So when he passes away in 1902, he leaves most of his company and his $6 million fortune to his nephews.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

$6 million in 1902 is $215 million today.

[Nick Martel]

Not too shit a lot of money. And Jacob Davis, he dies in 1908. So it's Levi's nephews and their descendants who run the company with steady hands for decades, even in the face of competition from newcomer brands like Lee Carhartt and the Hudson Overall Company. Doesn't really ring a bell, Jack.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

You might know them as wranglers. Levi. Levi's even survives a total wipeout of their records and inventory in the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.

[Nick Martel]

But the big catalyst for Levi's isn't going to be a fashion trend and it isn't going to be another gold rush. And it's not even going to be Flo Rida. It's going to be the movies. Silent movies welcome Yetis to 1914 Hollywood. One of the first popular genres in the silent film era is Western. And from this comes one of the very first movie stars ever, a tall drink of water named William S. Hart. And William Hart, he's actually a jean wearing gunslinger, which kicks off this whole vision and idea of the denim clad cowboy in the public consciousness.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And this isn't just a movie thing. Cowboys are definitely wearing 501s, right?

[Nick Martel]

Because Levi's, they aren't just for miners. They're the go to for any kind of hard labor at the moment, thanks to their heavyweight material. And of course, those all important copper rivets.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

You know what perfectly captures this watch? Remember that famous photograph of the workers at Rockefeller center eating lunch on that beam of iron? They're all wearing jeans. Fun fact though. You know what those guys building Rockefeller center did not like about their jeans?

[Nick Martel]

What, Jack?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The rivet on the crotch.

[Nick Martel]

I'm uncomfortable thinking about it, Jack. But you know, actually, despite the complaints, Levi's actually doesn't get rid of the crotch rivet, or son of a stitch, as they probably called it back then until the 1940s.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

It's actually a great story.

[Nick Martel]

Oh, this is so good.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

That's when Levi Levi's president Walter Haas is on a fly fishing trip and he squats down a little too close to the campfire. The crotch rivet heats up and that rivet is gone a short time later.

[Nick Martel]

Give me a home where the buffalo roar. Now in Hollywood, yetis the rise of the denim clad cowboy. It's only getting started because an even more famous figure in westerns is going to rock some Levi 501. Mr. John Wayne. Step on down.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

When Johnny dubs stars in 1939's Stagecoach, he wears a pair of high cuffed Levi's 501s that help establish the pants as the silver screen cowboy uniform.

[Nick Martel]

So these 501s, they're getting CO starring roles in Stagecoach and other westerns, which helps transform the pants image from labor duds to something a bit more glamorous.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And they're about to get downright sexy. With another boost from Hollywood, enter Marlon Brando.

[Nick Martel]

The one and only marlon Brando in 1953's the Wild One. It powers a youth culture for the next several decades. Black motorcycle jacket, black boots, and a hardy pair of Levi's 501s.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

He's like the Fonz 30 years earlier.

[Nick Martel]

Now John Wayne's Levi's that had been about ruggedness and hard work, but Marlin's jeans, that's all about rebellion.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Young rockabillies and bad boys of the 50s adopt jeans as their uniform and the style becomes so associated with juvenile delinquency that schools actually start banning jeans.

[Nick Martel]

Mom, I'm sorry, you gotta pick me up. I'm in a pair of slim fit true religions.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And of course, banning the jeans probably made them even more popular.

[Nick Martel]

Oh, totally. Now besties, as you hear us talk about this, you may be asking yourself, okay, we've Got cowboys, we got John Wayne, we got Marlon Brando, we got biker gangs. What about the ladies?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Don't worry, Nick, Levi's has them covered too.

[Nick Martel]

Yes, literally.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The company had been offering coveralls for women since around 1918. But in 1934, they release a product they call Lady Levi's or 701s. They're aimed at women who work on cattle ranches, or at least those who might vacation there. But one barrier to jeans crossing over to women is more societal hammering. Specifically, One of the 501's most iconic features, the button fly.

[Nick Martel]

I feel like we saw this coming a mile ago. Those button flies, they're going to be a problem.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Besties. You may remember that Levi's 501s predated zippers by about 20 years. But once the zipper is invented, then the button fly is considered super racy for women in polite society.

[Nick Martel]

I mean, Jack, we all know how lewd a button can be.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The truth is, is female ranch workers had been wearing the standard men's 501s for years, scandalous buttons and all. But in 1947, hoping to appeal to a wider range of women, Levi's adds a zipper. Finally.

[Nick Martel]

Honestly, my delicate sensibilities, I'm so glad you said it.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And just like on the men's side, Hollywood helped spread the gospel of Levi's with one of the biggest female movie stars in the world.

[Nick Martel]

Picture this. It's 1961. Marilyn Monroe stars in a John Huston film, the Misfits. Playing a divorcee. Audiences, they take her in. She's striding through the rugged Nevada high desert surrounded by sagebrush, mustangs galloping below. But her character's costume is nothing like what the public has seen her in before because there's no form fitting satin cocktail dress here, no skirmish fanning up from the subway grate. Instead, she has on some classic high waisted ladies Levi's, and they are a sensation. What Marlon does for young biker dudes, Marilyn does for young women. Looking for freedom from skirts and dresses, she exudes feminine appeal. The gold rush launched the Levi's 501s. But Hollywood rushes into scale. Jackie, add it all up. And reaching women with these 701s, that basically was a double the revenue opportunity. It increased their market share by like 100%.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The misfits being Marilyn's final film adds a certain mystique to the film, the genes, and to the rebel spirit of Norma Jean herself, which is a bit of a foreshadowing.

[Nick Martel]

For our next chapter, check when Levi's 501s become a symbol for a whole new generation of rebels with a cause. By the way, Jack, legend has it George Clooney doesn't wear jeans either. Hey, Jack, forget Leo DiCaprio, because the artist most snubbed at the Oscars is the Levi's 501s.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

You know DiCaprio got an Oscar eventually.

[Nick Martel]

Man, let's fact check that. So when we left off, Yetis, Levi's 501s had scored some starring roles in Hollywood, which helped transform their role in popular culture. Having started out as a sort of protective armor for manual laborers during the gold rush, half a century later, they became the armor of disaffected youth, 50s beatniks, 60s hippies and folk singers, 70s punks and gay activists. They all turn to the 501 as a blank canvas. They can tweak and they can accessorize it to fit their aesthetics.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

We should also say it's in the 1960s that Levi's finally makes a key marketing move for the 501s. They trade out the term waist overalls for jeans.

[Nick Martel]

Well, over the years, Levi's has worked to add distinguishing touches that separate them from the competition. Their brand equity as a competitive advantage. Like that tiny red fabric tab on the back right pocket that says Levi's. That's actually been part of the 501s only since 1936.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

That red tab is not functional in any way. No, it's not, except to distinguish authentic Levi's from the pack. It's like the red bottom soles of a pair of Christian Louboutins.

[Nick Martel]

But like any brand that's been around for a while, Levi guys, they're fending off some stiff competition from rivals. Wrangler has been working to claim the cowboy demographic. And by the late 70s, designer brands like Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt and Jord Ash, they are going for that high fashion fancy set. So add it all up and Levi's needs a bit of a brand reset right now. Which they get courtesy of a butt. A very famous rocker's butt. 1984. We weren't born yet, but I feel like we are when I hear that song. Jack. Columbia Records. The Boss releases his blockbuster seventh studio album, Born in the usa Bruce Springsteen is already a bonafide rock star, but this album, it quickly becomes his most iconic. Not just for the music, but for the album art. Red and white horizontal stripes in the background. And in the foreground, Bruce's backside, sporting a pair of faded blue Levi's 501s, clearly distinguishable by that red tag right on the pocket.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

It's incredible marketing for Levi's.

[Nick Martel]

Now, we should point out, Springsteen does not officially endorse the brand, but when Levi's saw him wearing their pants on the album cover, they knew that was a big win. Born in the USA is released on June 4, 1984, a month before Independence Day. And it becomes the best selling album of Springsteen's career.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And not just in the US this is a smash hit around the world. Europe is smitten with this Bruce record, including and notably Germany. But Germany is partitioned into east and west thanks to a charming piece of concrete architecture called the Berlin Wall.

[Nick Martel]

Now, interestingly, in the communist parts of Eastern Europe, jeans develop a very geopolitical Western capitalist garments. These Soviet aligned German Democratic Republic, or GDR, they actually banned jeans outright in the 1960s, which of course made jeans even more irresistible to young people. So anyone with relatives in the west west was begging for Levi's to be air mailed in in any way possible.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And of course, a black market gets going with the illegal jeans selling for as much as $500 a pair. That's $5,000 in today's money. We're talking low end Rolex prices for Levi's jeans.

[Nick Martel]

For young East Germans living in this communist region, Levi's aren't just about being trendy. They symbolize freedom. They symbolize rebellion. All the Western values that make their leaders nervous. But the crackdowns, they just don't seem to be working.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Eventually, East Germany tries for a compromise. They make their own East German Levi's knockoffs.

[Nick Martel]

Oh my God.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Names like golf, fox and Boxer. Okay, but these jeans are terrible.

[Nick Martel]

Oh, I can imagine.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

They don't fit right. They're somehow too big or too small. And sometimes one leg is longer than the other. The GDR's jeans is the original fashion faux pas.

[Nick Martel]

They get so frustrated fighting the black market of jeans that they finally just wave the white flag. And in 1978, the East German government asks Levi's to airlift them 800,000 pairs of real American jeans. And Levi's being a good capitalist mensch, they comply.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Levi's was founded by a German immigrant. Now they're shipping his most famous product back to his home.

[Nick Martel]

The 501s have come full circle. And on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, in a moment that goes down in history, comes down. And if you look at the iconic photos from that day, you're going to see dozens of young people crowded on top of the Wall, lots of them. Got mullets, of course. But every single one of them is wearing one thing. And what is it? Jap denim.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

I've looked at this picture a million times. I've never noticed that every one of them is wearing jeans. It's almost like jeans beat communism.

[Nick Martel]

Mr. Gorbachev put on these 501s.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Nick. You can actually make that argument. Yeah, because in July 1988, a year and a half before the wall came down, Bruce was actually allowed to perform live in a concert in East Berlin. And the entertainment deprived people of the east saw something they could never unsee.

[Nick Martel]

Both the display of freedom from the capitalist west and Bruce's butt in a good old pair of Levi's 501s.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

You can't unsee that it was the.

[Nick Martel]

Spark that started the fire. The 80s and the 90s, they're all about Levi's 501 reclaiming its place in the cultural conversation. They're classic, sure, but they're not, you know, old. So they take a look around and they dream up a new way to tell their epic story.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

This is the early heyday of the MTV era. So Levi's leans into the music television trend. It launches a series of ads that look just like music videos or artsy short films. No voiceover, just slow rolling, twangy guitar licks and stylishly grainy photography. A watershed moment is their 1985 spot called Wanderette, where a hot guy strips down in the laundromat to wash his 501s with a bunch of rocks by the 80s.

[Nick Martel]

Or Jack, how about this one where a man strolls down the stairs of a dusty old west saloon in his underwear and fetches his 501 straight from the fridge.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

There's also this one where two young pioneer women spy on a shirtless man shrink fitting his 501s in a nearby creek.

[Nick Martel]

Jack. We couldn't forget about this one, which features a very young Brad Pitt in a very, very sweaty look.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

These are all very sweaty looks, Nick.

[Nick Martel]

I'm schmittzen just looking at him. Jack. But all of them tell a very specific story, that when you think 501s, don't think coal miner, think Brad Pitt's 12 abs.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

There are worse ways to sell a product. Well, actually, the.

[Nick Martel]

The thing about these ads too is that they position 501s as something premium, as special something to take care of. That one guy is keeping his jeans in the fridge. The other guy is shrink fitting them to his body. The jeans are made to be cared for because they're made to last. And this is a framing that Levi's will hold onto even as they face a new foe in the 2000s and beyond fast fashion.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

This is a challenge a lot of classic clothing brands will face. And Levi's not immune. In 2003, Levi's shifts manufacturing operations overseas. And the weight of their denim does decrease a bit. Today, they source their products from about 20 countries.

[Nick Martel]

But there's a curious side effect to this fast fashion invasion that caught our eye. The disappearance of high quality heavyweight denim has created a massive resale market for vintage and dead stock denim, which Levi's.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Happens to have a lot of.

[Nick Martel]

And today, Levi's denim has become a coveted brand among the Gen Z influencer set. Emma Chamberlain isn't doing a collab with Everlane. She's doing it with the 501 originals. I will see a pair of vintage.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Levi's from across the store and I.

[Nick Martel]

Will hear them say we're meant to be together. And then I buy them Yetis. Today, Levi's has over two dozen styles of jeans, from the 501s to the 569s. That's their loose, straight style, in case you're curious or the baggy daddy. Now, the numbers are almost as confusing as a car company's vehicle models. But the OG501 is still the Levi's moneymaker, their profit puppy. Hey, Jack, how much money did the Levi's 501 bring in in 2023?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Again, an estimated $800 million. A single style of jeans is almost a billion dollar brand.

[Nick Martel]

That is almost 20% of Levi's total revenues coming from the 501 brand.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And according to the secondhand site Vestier Collective, searches on their site for the 501 are 99% higher than searches for 511s, 505s or 721s.

[Nick Martel]

And then in 2019, as we covered on our daily news show, Levi's IPO'd at a $7 billion valuation on the New York Stock Exchange. And Jackson, we've been to the New York Stock Exchange a bunch of times. What do we know about the nyse?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

They have a dress code. And jeans are not allowed.

[Nick Martel]

No, they're not.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And this was the only time they made a historic exception. They didn't wear suits, but they did wear Canadian tuxedos.

[Nick Martel]

Bottom line here, Jack, at age 151 and counting, the Levi's 501 is in its prime.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

I hope we're the same when we're 151. Yeah.

[Nick Martel]

I wanna be killing it at 151. To pull it off, we're gonna need some good jeans.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

I see what you did there and I like it.

[Nick Martel]

So, Jack, now that you've heard the story of Levi's 501s, what's your takeaway?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Mine is the most basic part of the story we told. The cup holder effect.

[Nick Martel]

It's so simple, but it is so powerful.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

The one key detail that actually sells the product. Levi's 501 made their splash with a handful of rivets and then with a little red tag that had no particular purpose outside of marketing authentication. Those little tiny features were the cup holders.

[Nick Martel]

Yes, they're what sold the product. That is the key difference. The cup holders.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

What about you, Nick? What was your favorite takeaway?

[Nick Martel]

So, Jack, my takeaway is that they stayed fresh and they stayed relevant over the years by doing something that you and I have called story selling. When you're selling your story, it's not just a product Levi's 501 story, it's that they are denim pioneers. Starting with that very first patented rivet pant on the guy who was huge. And since then, they've been selling the story of their durability, their rebelliousness, and even their connection to western democracy.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And then they had their stint in Hollywood. Yeah, Levi's 501 became the most culturally relevant pants in America.

[Nick Martel]

And they even inserted themselves near the iron curtain, making Levi's 501s the most culturally relevant pants in the history of not being naked. Now Jack, that's a lot for one pair of waist overalls, but man, does they pull it off. Now Jack, before we go, our favorite time of the show, the best facts yet. What do we got?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Levi's didn't make their first pre shrunk pair of jeans until 1967, which means they were always shrink to fit. So you better get a pair that's a little too big because they're going to come in after the first wash.

[Nick Martel]

Reason number four, why I don't wear jeans.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

We talked about Levi's in film, but did you know that, Jack?

[Nick Martel]

Jedis where Levi's the Force is strong with the slim fit.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Jack, technically he's not a Jedi yet when he wore them, but in the original Star wars movie, Episode four. Yeah, Luke Skywalker's first outfit on Tatooine, he's wearing a pair of bleached white Levis. His white tunic covers up the top so you can't see the two horse logo. But they're Levi's 501s you're wearing.

[Nick Martel]

Speaking of which, Jack, for the 501's 150th birthday in 2023, a group in Latvia actually tested some real Levi's against some real Latvian horses.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Who won? The jeans or the horses?

[Nick Martel]

Sadly, this time those really strong Latvian horses came out on top and actually ripped the jeans. And that yetis and besties is why Levi's 501s is the best Idea yet. And we want to know what other iconic products you want us to look into. And we'll jump into them.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Drop us some comments or write your idea in the review of this podcast and Nick and I will be all over.

[Nick Martel]

In the meantime, Jack, I'm willing to get out of these J. Crew khakis and try these things on. Coming up on the next episode of the Best Idea Yet. Jack, what do we got?

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

I'm turning on the jets because we're hitting the story of Jacuzzi.

[Nick Martel]

Okay, all right, got to slip into something more comfortable for this one.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Follow the Best Idea yet on the Wondery app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to every episode of the Best Idea yet early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

[Nick Martel]

Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey the best idea yet is a production of Wondery hosted by me, Nick Martel.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

And me, Jack Kravic.

[Nick Martel]

Our senior producers are Matt Beagle and Chris Gauthier.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Matt Wise is our producer. Our senior managing producer is Nick Ride and Taylor Sniffin is our managing producer.

[Nick Martel]

Our associate producer is H. Conley.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

This episode was written by Katie Clark Ray and Noor Gill and produced by Katie Clark Gray. Research by Samuel Fatzinger.

[Nick Martel]

We use many sources in our research. A few that were helpful were Ed Kray's book Levi's the Shrink to Fit business that stretched to cover the world.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Sound Sound design and mixing by CJ.

[Nick Martel]

Dremeller Fact checking by Molly Artwick Music supervision by Scott Velasquez and Jolina Garcia for Frisson.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Sing Our theme song is Got that Feeling Again by Black Lack.

[Nick Martel]

Executive producers for Nick and Jack Studios.

[Jack Crevici Kramer]

Are me, Nick Martel and me Jack Ravici Kramer.

[Nick Martel]

Executive producers are Dave Easton, Jenny Lauer, Beckman, Erin O'Flaherty and Marshall Louie for Wandering.