The history of blue jeans begins — and ends, brand loyalists would argue — with Levi’s. In 1873, the U.S. government granted a patent to San Francisco shop owner Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada, to make denim work pants strengthened with copper rivets. The two men named their enterprise Levi Strauss & Co., after Strauss’ bustling dry goods store, and launched what became one of the world’s most enduring and widely recognized clothing labels. In 1936, Levi’s began promoting its brand name by attaching little red cloth tabs to its classic blue jeans. Over the years, the tabs became so symbolic of the company that they inspired Levi’s Red Tab Jeans, which today serves as Levi’s core label. Red Tab is home to some of Levi’s most beloved premium denim styles, including its iconic button-fly 501s, boot-cut 517s, skinny 511s, and super-skinny 510s. You’ve just found your next go-to pair of jeans.