In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Levi’s 501 Original Jeans, Levi’s held an accessible pop-up experience venue in San Francisco Armory.

This event consisted of an exhibit on the history of 501 jeans archive and a workshop where visitors could customize their own denim.

The exhibit focused on the continuous legacy of 501 Original and its transformations through various episodes ever since its creation in 1873.

“We have been keeping historically significant Levi’s jeans in our archive. This is the first time in history to display all 501’s in our archive to the public,” Tracey Panek said, the historian of Levi’s and the director of Levi’s archive. “This is how important we think this event is to us.”

Founded in San Francisco during the Gold Rush, Levi’s jeans soon gained fame among the miners for being made of sturdy material. 

As other workers began wearing jeans, the early Levi’s jeans became the icon of blue-collar workers from the West in the late 19th century.

The name “501,” the symbolic identity of Levi’s denim, was first used to distinguish the jeans created by Levi’s from jeans made by other companies as soon as the patent Levi’s held expired. 

Its nationwide popularity, however, started growing in the 20th century. 

It started to be recognized during World War II, as the military workers wore it because of its durability.

Jeans then became the iconic symbol of the young generations of mid-20th century America. 

In response to the demand for different jeans,  jeans for females named 701 were created at this point in time.

These newly emerged fashions from the Western United States shocked Europeans when they were first introduced to the jeans the Emery Twins wore in 1947.

However, many social restrictions soon followed this rapid change in the American fashion trend. 

In schools, students who wore jeans were often thought to be associated with juvenile delinquencies.

Opposing this, students started to bleach their jeans as a form of a petition, challenging the stereotypes towards denim. 

This small movement marked the start of different-colored jeans.

By the 60s, denim was viewed as a form of self-expression. 

Many young people would customize their unique jeans, blending their own stories in their fashion.

As a beloved product, 501 Original Jeans were worn by many famous figures and celebrities. 

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, wore 501 when he created the first Mac in the 70s.

“My favorite episode is the story of a boy who lived in Tbilisi, Georgia, who exchanged his family cow with a pair of Levi’s. That happened in 1982 when Georgia was under Soviet rule, so Levi’s was banned along with other American products,” Panek said. 

“However, Levi’s jeans were still highly valued and were actively traded in the black market. Nothing couldn’t stop them from seeking satisfaction through our product,” she said.

Panek continued, “This anniversary is relevant not only because it has been 150 years since the creation of this famous product. We want to highlight all the people who build unique stories along with 501. That’s why we would want to call this the greatest story ever worn.”

Levi’s also held various campaigns, collaborations, and commercials that celebrate the significant 150th anniversary of 501 Original Jeans.

The event is currently no longer available.

Yujun Lee
Grade 9
Homestead High School