Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join us in celebrating 150 years of the Levi's® 501® – the original modern blue jean! We’ll explore the earliest pieces in our Archives to find a model of the design that came to market in 1873.
Levi's® Historian, Tracey Panek, and Design Director of Collections, Paul O'Neill, piece together the missing links and reveal what the first pair of 501® jeans would have looked like. Follow Tracey to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. where one of the earliest 501® jeans, or waist overalls as they were known at the time, was donated in 1964.
Discoveries at the Smithsonian, along with hours of research in the Archives, revealed that the first 501® jean had most of the features it has today, like rivets and a button fly, but surprising details that later disappeared.
Learn more about the history of Levi's® 501® and the process of recreating the 1873 model, as we dive into the Levi’s® Archives.
If you enjoyed this video, please like and share!
Subscribe to the Levi's® YouTube channel to learn more DIY projects with America's favorite denim.
SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/levis?sub... To shop Levi's® visit: levi.com/US/en_US
Connect with us online:
WEBSITE: levi.com/US/en_US
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/levis
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/levis
TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@levis
TWITTER: twitter.com/levis
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/levisbrand
Join us in celebrating 150 years of the Levi's® 501® – the original modern blue jean! We’ll explore the earliest pieces in our Archives to find a model of the design that came to market in 1873.
Levi's® Historian, Tracey Panek, and Design Director of Collections, Paul O'Neill, piece together the missing links and reveal what the first pair of 501® jeans would have looked like. Follow Tracey to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. where one of the earliest 501® jeans, or waist overalls as they were known at the time, was donated in 1964.
Discoveries at the Smithsonian, along with hours of research in the Archives, revealed that the first 501® jean had most of the features it has today, like rivets and a button fly, but surprising details that later disappeared.
Learn more about the history of Levi's® 501® and the process of recreating the 1873 model, as we dive into the Levi’s® Archives.
If you enjoyed this video, please like and share!
Subscribe to the Levi's® YouTube channel to learn more DIY projects with America's favorite denim.
SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/levis?sub... To shop Levi's® visit: levi.com/US/en_US
Connect with us online:
WEBSITE: levi.com/US/en_US
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/levis
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/levis
TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@levis
TWITTER: twitter.com/levis
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/levisbrand
