STEP INSIDE THE LEVI'S® ARCHIVES: WESTERN WEAR
Community /
December 2021
IF YOUR FANTASY IS TO BE A COWBOY, JEANS ARE A PART OF THE COWBOY OUTFIT
Levi’s® were born in the American West. These tough pants have been a staple piece of clothing for ranchers and anyone doing hard manual labor for generations. Cowboys were among the first to wear Levi’s®. Our 1890 Spur Bites Levi’s® shows like a scrapbook of a cowboy who sat in the saddle for hours and tore the hem of his 501s® with spurs. Hollywood popularized cowboys wearing jeans when leading actors like John Wayne wore the iconic 501s® in Westerns; cowboys wearing jeans on the silver screen became a classic example of life imitating art.
The Westerns of the 30s also meant the whole country
wanted a piece of the cowboy lifestyle. For the first time people were wearing the 501® for
the look. So Levi’s® made the most of this and adopted the cowboy as a symbol. These
tough pants became recognized as Western attire. Born and sold in the American West.
Worn by cowboys, cowhands, and hard-working manual laborers alike.
By the 1930s Levi’s® created a cowboy character called "The Saddleman" to use throughout our advertising. You can still see this famous cowboy image on product labels today.
Step inside the Archives, with Levi’s® Historian Tracey Panek as she takes you back to the 1930s and explains how the company started sponsoring Rodeos. And how Levi’s® became cemented as a key costume for Hollywood Westerns.
You’ll hear stories of pants and trucker jackets that found immortality by representing the rebellion and romance of the untamed American West. Hollywood stars wore them, kids adopted them and they became a timeless symbol of the American frontier.