An old house in Buttenheim, a small town in Franconia. The ceilings are low and the wooden floor creaks. Levi Strauss was born here, the man who 150 years ago in the USA registered a patent for work trousers. He was the son of a poor Jewish itinerant merchant from Upper Franconia and became a successful businessman in America.

The Strauss family did not have an easy life and no career prospects. Many Jews immigrated to the US at that time. This was also true of Levi Strauss’ older siblings, followed later by his mother and younger siblings. In 1848 they arrived in the USA. From quiet Buttenheim to the hustle and bustle of New York, says Tanya Ropelt, head of the Museum “Buttenheim Levi Strauss”.

The birth of the gin

The family ran a successful textile wholesale business. When news of gold discoveries in the western US began to spread, he made the decision to go to San Francisco and open a branch there. Along with tailor Jacob Davis, Strauss finally filed a patent on May 20, 150 years ago. It was the birth of the famous brand ‘Levi’s’.

Much is not known about Levi Strauss, because in 1906 during a great earthquake in San Francisco the company building and many documents were destroyed. “That’s why not much is known about him,” says Tanya Ropelt. “He was fair and gave a lot of money to charity. Above all, education was important to him. Even then, half of the scholarships went to women,” she says.

His jeans, on the other hand, became famous. They are found in every wardrobe today. They are worn in offices and services. Even members of royal families wear them like William and Kate. Fashion magazines devote countless pages to whether they should be wide, short or long. The once durable work pants are now in demand and fashionable. In the 1930s, Vogue introduced the first women’s jeans.

Always in fashion

Denim since it was invented and patented in 1873 has never gone out of fashion, it is in demand and produced all over the world.

Denim is on the rise again today, says Karl Tillesen of the German Fashion Institute. It is also a fabric that plays an important role in sustainability and recycling. There is no other product with such high homogeneity in the fabric that can be reused. There is a huge amount of used jeans that can be cut up and sold again.

Back at the Buttenheim and the museum, where, as head Tania Roppelt says, it is even possible to have a civil wedding, “some couples even come wearing jeans”.