Before the 501® became a global icon, the story of Levi’s® denim had already begun.
Now, Levi’s has unveiled a new archival release through Levi’s Vintage Clothing, recreating one of the oldest surviving pairs of blue jeans in the company’s history: the “1870 Nevada Jeans.” Inspired by an original garment preserved inside the Levi Strauss & Co. archive in San Francisco, the limited-edition piece revisits the earliest foundations of American workwear and denim construction.
Summary
- Levi’s® Vintage Clothing has released the “1870 Nevada Jeans,” inspired by one of the oldest surviving pairs of Levi’s® blue jeans
- The design recreates rare 1870s-era details, including a left-leg tool pocket, single back pocket, suspender buttons, and exposed rivet construction
- The jeans are produced in limited quantities using deadstock Cone Denim White Oak rigid denim and manufactured entirely in the United States
- The release launches May 20 through Levi’s® channels in the U.S., with availability expected to be extremely limited
A Glimpse Into Levi’s® Before the 501®
The “1870 Nevada Jeans” traces back to the earliest years of Levi’s® denim production, only a few years after the company first began manufacturing waist overalls in the American West.
While the silhouette foreshadows the structure that would later evolve into the 501®, this original version carries a defining feature rarely seen in later Levi’s® history: a tool pocket positioned on the left thigh. The unusual detail was reportedly used only for a short period of time, eventually leading collectors and historians to nickname the model “Nevada,” referencing the region where similar archival pieces were discovered.
The reproduction also restores numerous historical specifications from the original garment, including a centered leather back patch, a single right-side back pocket, riveted reinforcement details patented in 1873, sewn-on buttons, a watch pocket attached to the waistband, denim pocket bags, and leather washers hidden beneath the rivets.
Together, the details offer a remarkably intact portrait of early American workwear craftsmanship.
Made in America Using Deadstock White Oak Denim
For the fabrication, Levi’s® Vintage Clothing used deadstock Cone Denim White Oak rigid denim developed specifically for archival reproduction projects. The lightweight loomstate fabric remains untreated and unwashed, avoiding modern finishing techniques such as preshrinking or singeing in order to preserve the raw character associated with denim production in the 1870s.
The jeans are also manufactured entirely in the United States and released only in highly limited quantities.
“This is one of the oldest jeans in our archive, dating back to the earliest years of our production. The secret that makes the Nevada so special is this tool pocket. It was only used for a very short period of time. Using American-made fabric and producing it in America, just as it was back then, felt like the most appropriate way to bring this extraordinary garment back to life today.”
The statement was shared by Paul O’Neill, Design Director of Levi’s® Vintage Clothing.
U.S. Release Information
According to Levi’s® Vintage Clothing’s official U.S. channels, the “1870 Nevada Jeans” launches on May 20 through select Levi’s® release channels in the United States, including Levi.com and limited retail locations.
While Levi’s® has not publicly disclosed full nationwide distribution details at the time of writing, the release is expected to remain highly limited due to the archival nature of the project and the use of rare deadstock materials.
Through Levi’s® Vintage Clothing, the company continues to revisit garments preserved inside its archive dating back to the 19th century. The San Francisco-based archive reportedly contains more than 2,000 rare garments and artifacts dating as far back as 1873, serving as a foundation for the label’s ongoing reproduction program.
Rather than functioning purely as nostalgia, the “1870 Nevada Jeans” positions denim as a living historical object — one that predates modern fashion cycles and continues to shape contemporary culture more than 150 years later.
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