Levi Strauss was born as Loeb Strauss in Buttenheim, Bavaria. In 1847, Strauss, his mother and two sisters moved to New York, New York to join his brothers, Jonas and Louis Loeb, in their dry goods business. By 1850 he adopted the name "Levi Strauss" and in 1853, Levi moved to San Francisco, California, and opened a dry goods wholesale business, Levi Strauss & Co, selling to small stores in California.
On May 20, 1873 Strauss and Jacob Davis received a United States patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim work pants. Levi Strauss & Co. began manufacturing the first blue jeans in San Francisco.