Levi's Big E - Fashion Company Profile
'Big E' is what vintage denim collectors call Levi's made between 1936 and 1971, when the little red tab on the back pocket was woven LEVI'S with a capital E.
Company Snapshot
- Subject
- 'Big E' - Levi's jeans whose red tab reads LEVI'S with a capital E
- Period
- 1936 to 1971 - the capital-E tab was used from the tab's introduction until the switch to lowercase 'e' in 1971
- Owner
- Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE: LEVI)
- Why it matters
- The capital E is the best-known dating marker in vintage denim collecting
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Company Profile
A single letter separates the most collectible Levi's from the merely old: after 1971 the tab reads 'Levi's' with a lowercase e. How to read a Big E pair, why the letter changed, and the counterfeit warning that goes with high vintage prices are set out on the history page.
The need for the Tab was created by an expiring patent. Levi Strauss & Co. and tailor Jacob Davis received a United States patent to make riveted denim pants in 1873, but patents do not last forever: in 1890 the patent went into the public domain, and competitors could start using rivets to provide extra durability. Brands such as Stronghold, Can't Bust 'Em and Boss of the Road started flooding the western market with dark blue, riveted denim jeans that also happened to have a leather patch on the waistband and pocket stitching suspiciously similar to the Levi's Arcuate design. In 1936 the company decided on the folded ribbon as a way to make it easier for consumers to find authentic Levi's, sewn onto the right back pocket of the 501 jeans; the Tab Device was registered as a trademark, and in 1938 it was first used on Levi's jackets.
Levi's Big E History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
Levi's Big E History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
What does Big E mean in vintage Levi's?
Jeans made before 1971 - the Tab lettering used 1936 to 1971 - whose red Tab spells LEVI'S in all capital letters; the mark's official name is the Tab Device, in the historical record.
Why was the red Tab created in 1936?
To help consumers find authentic Levi's after the 1873 rivet patent entered the public domain in 1890 and imitators sold dark riveted jeans with similar patches and pocket stitching, as recorded.
What is special about the 1966-1971 Big E 501?
It combines bar-tacked back pockets, which replaced rivets from 1966, with the capital-letter Big E Tab - a combination that only existed from 1966 to 1971, in the historical record's specification.
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