Levi Strauss (February 26, 1829–September 26, 1902) was a Jewish German, Bavarian-born American clothing manufacturer.

Levi Strauss was born as Loeb Strauss in Buttenheim in Franconia, German Confederation. In 1847, Strauss, his mother and two sisters moved to New York, New York to join his brothers, Jonas and Louis Loeb, in their dry goods business.

By 1850 he adopted the name "Levi Strauss" and in 1853, Strauss moved to San Francisco, California, and opened a dry goods wholesale business, Levi Strauss & Co., selling to small stores in California. Strauss observed that work clothes worn by gold prospectors and miners were not able to endure their torturous ordeal of working inside mine shafts, digging in the dirt and grime. Strauss developed the concept of and sold durable canvas pants. Initially, they were not very comfortable to wear but were very durable. Later, Strauss discovered denim ("canvas dyed blue to better conceal stains") and produced "even more popular and comfortable apparel. Once the workwear of cowboys, miners, and ranchers, blue jeans are today worn by people of all walks of life, at work and play". [1]

On May 20, 1873 Strauss and Jacob Davis received a United States patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim work pants. Levi Strauss & Co. began manufacturing the first blue jeans in San Francisco.