Britannica –
“The company traces its origin to Levi Strauss (1829–1902), a Bavarian immigrant who arrived in San Francisco in 1850 during the Gold Rush, bringing dry goods for sale to miners. Hearing of the miners’ need for durable pants, Strauss hired a tailor to make garments out of tent canvas. (Later, denim was substituted, and copper riveting was added to pocket seams.) A merchandising partnership of Strauss and his two brothers, Jonas and Louis, was formed in 1853… By the 1960s Levi’s and other jeans—once worn chiefly by Western cowboys—became popular worldwide…”
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, accessed November 18, 2008)