On February 26, 1829 a fashion designer was born. His name was Levi Strauss. His father’s name was Hirsh, his mother’s name was Rebecca, and he had three brothers and three sisters. Strauss and his family were religiously discriminated against because they were Jewish. In 1846, at the age sixteen Strauss lost his father to tuberculosis, so two years later he and his family voyaged to New York city from Butten, Bavaria, Germany.

They met with his two older brothers when they got to New York. He began working in his brother’s dry goods business, “J. Strauss Brother & Co.”

In 1853, Levi Strauss bought his own business and served as the West Coast representative of the family’s New York firm. Strauss later renamed the company “Levi Strauss & Co.” In 1872, he received a letter from a customer, Jacob Davis, explaining his way of strain which makes the pants last longer.

Davis needed a business partner and Strauss was happy to hop on board and be his partner. May 20, 1873 marked the birth of the blue jeans, and in1875, he extended his business interests by buying mission and pacific woolen mills.

Levi Strauss died Friday, September 26, 1902. His clothing worth estimated about 6 million dollars, and it was all left to his four nephews and the rest of the family.