 The orange thread traditionally used to sew Levi Strauss
blue jeans was intentionally selected to match the copper rivets that doubled the durability of
the jeans.
Levi Strauss, however, neither envisioned this particular use for
copper riveting, which the orange thread complemented, nor the
unique stitching on the rear pockets of
the jeans.
Jacob Davis, a Russian immigrant, and a tailor, who plied his
trade in Reno, Nevada, formulated the idea for the riveted seam, an idea that would vastly
extend the life of the jeans, and would revolutionize the garment industry. Alas, due to financial
constraints, Jacob could neither afford to obtain a patent for his
invention, nor to produce the new garment.
Out of necessity, Jacob approached the wholesaler he purchased
his denim from with a proposal that he
sell him the West Coast rights to the riveted blue jeans, in
exchange for the required to obtain a patent for them. The
wholesaler whom accepted Jacob's proposition was none other
than Levi Strauss.
Levi gave Jacob a position with his Company in 1873 and, during
his tenure, Jacob ensured that the orange thread be used in all
stitching on the jeans, and that the curved, formally named
"arcuate," stitches adorn the rear pockets of the jeans.
Initially the fancy, unique stitching on the rear pockets of the
jeans served a purpose. The rear pockets of the first Levis the
Company produced were lined with cotton, and the orange stitching
prevented the padding from buckling. The Company dropped the cotton lining early on, but the stitching
remained, and was registered as a trademark in 1942.
Only once did it appear as if the orange stitching on the rear
pockets would become a thing of the past. The material shortage
during World War II prompted Levi to contribute to the war effort by
temporarily ceasing production of jeans with the trademark stitching
on the rear pockets, as this was considered frivolous and wasteful. To avoid a break in
continuity of the Levi tradition, the Company had the design hand
painted on the rear pockets of each pair of jeans produced.
To this day, the copper rivets, matching orange thread, and
ornate stitching on the rear pockets still adorn all Levis produced.
The legend of Levi Strauss lives on, while Jacob Davis has been lost
in the annals of history.
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note:
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copper rivets: 銅鉚釘
stitching: 縫紉
riveted seam: 鉚縫
revolutionize: 使徹底變革
garment industry: 服裝工業
denim: 粗斜紋棉布
none other than:不是別的，正是．．．
cotton lining: 棉襯里
frivolous: 瑣碎的
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