WhatdefinesAmericanclothingorfashion?CanyouthinkofapieceofclothingthatisinseparablylinkedtoAmericanculture?Thereisagoodchanceyouranswerwouldbebluejeans.LeviStraussdidnotinventjeans,butheisconsideredthefirstpersontomakeandsellgreatnumbersofthem.HewasborninBavaria,anareathattodayispartofGermany.In1847heandhisfamilyimmigratedtotheUnitedStatesLeviStraussopenedasmalldrygoodsstore,firstinNewYork,theninSanFrancisco,California.Amongtheproductshesoldwerejeans.ThesepantswereespeciallyusefulforminersinCalifornia.Theyneededclothingmadefromastrongmaterial.Jeansareusuallymadefromaheavycottonclothcalleddenim.In1873,thegovernmentgaveStraussandDavisapatentfortheirinvention.In1928,theLeviStrausscompanyregisteredtheword“Levi’s”asatrademarkfortheirproduct.