LEVI’S VINTAGE CLOTHING REPRODUCES 9RIVET, OLDEST PAIR OF BLUE JEANS IN THE LEVI’S ARCHIVES

In the extensive Levi’s Archives, several garments have helped form a picture of the 501 Original, widely known as both the first pair of blue jeans and a timeless icon of global style. However, until recently, there were several contenders for the oldest blue jean in the archives. Curiously, instead of the usual minimum of 11, one of these pairs had only 9 rivets. Thanks to several breakthroughs in archival research, it has been determined that this unique garment, known as 9Rivet, is the oldest. (Above: GAR-HIST-170 “Nevada” waist overalls denim pocket bags watch pocket riveted to waistband no tool pocket 1880s.)To celebrate, the Levi’s Vintage Clothing team has carefully crafted a stitch-for-stitch reproduction of the oldest pair of blue jeans in the Levi’s Archives.

As the Levi’s brand set out to honor the historic 150th anniversary of the legendary patent for “an Improvement in Fastening Pocket Openings,” several questions emerged. While Levi’s had been producing what is now known as the 501 jean since 1873, multiple pieces from the 1870s featured back patches that mentioned a re-patent date of March 16th, 1875. During extensive research at the Levi’s Archives, Paul O’Neill, Levi’s Vintage Clothing Design Director, identified several 1870s pairs with a patch omitting that repatent date, but couldn’t read all the information on the distressed patches. After Tracey Panek, Historian at Levi Strauss & Co., visited the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to see a pair of Levi’s riveted duck waist overalls that Levi Strauss & Co. donated in 1964 when the museum opened, she discovered that it had an intact back patch also omitting that 1875 date, indicating that it had been produced before the 1875 re-patent. Several pieces with this same patch in the Levi’s Archives could then definitively be dated to pre-1875. Upon meticulously comparing all details of the garments from this period – including pocket stitching, pocket fabric, buttons, and more – the Levi’s Historian and the Levi’s Vintage Clothing design team could confidently say that 9Rivet pre-dated all other blue jeans in the Archives.

The garment—now preserved in a fireproof safe—served as the pattern for the 9Rivet reproduction from the Levi’s Vintage Clothing team, capturing all of the unique details of the historic jean. Made with 9 oz. Plain Selvedge Cone Mills White Oak Denim, 9Rivet has one back pocket, exposed rivets, and an unriveted center-back cinch. Featuring the pre-1875 Levi’s leather patch, 9Rivet offers a watch pocket sewn on the waistband, denim pocket bags, and sewn-on buttons. The dedication to detail is reflected in the single-needle arcuate and crotch gusset. With only 800 pairs produced, 9Rivet is presented as if it came straight from the Levi’s Archives.

“Of the various 1870s blue jeans in the Levi’sArchives, I always suspected 9Rivet was the oldest,” said Paul O’Neill, Design Director, Levi’s Vintage Clothing. “After confirming it was in fact the oldest we have, we were thrilled to reproduce all of its quirks and details that collectively capture a unique piece of denim history.”

The limited-edition 9Rivet jeans, retailing for $495, will be available for purchase on May 20th on Levi.com, the Levi’s App, and in select Levi’s Stores.