Levi Strauss & Co. was founded in San Francisco in 1853 by Levi Strauss, a German immigrant who sold dry goods to the city's Gold Rush trade. In 1873 Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent for placing copper rivets at the stress points of work pants, and those riveted pants became the blue jean. The 501 got its lot number in 1890. The Red Tab, the small red ribbon on the back pocket, arrived in 1936. The company still lives in San Francisco and trades on the New York Stock Exchange as LEVI. Levi's also sells its own sneakers and boots, but its footwear reputation comes from collaborations.
Levi's and Jordan Brand
The best-known Levi's sneaker is the Levi's x Air Jordan 4 "Denim", released on January 17, 2018, for $225 with a matching reversible Levi's Trucker jacket. It had an indigo denim upper, a gum sole and a Red Tab on the side panel, and it released through a small group of top-tier accounts. Black and white denim versions followed that summer. Levi's and Jordan Brand reunited in 2026 with a Levi's x Air Jordan 3 collection that released in waves, with regional pairs for China, Japan, San Francisco and an All-Star Weekend exclusive in Los Angeles. The pairing goes back to the 2008 "23/501" Air Jordan 1 Mid pack.
Levi's and Nike
- Nike SB Dunk Low (2012): an early Levi's project on the skate side of Nike.
- Nike By Levi's (2019): a Nike By You program that let buyers customize the Air Force 1 and Air Max 90 with Levi's denim.
- Air Max 95 (2025): a three-pair pack in black, brown and blue denim with red laces and Sashiko-style stitching.
- Air Force 3 Low (2025): Nigo's Nike AF3 pack with Levi's denim panels.
Levi's and New Balance
Between 2020 and 2023 Levi's worked with New Balance on the Made in USA 1300, a split-tone 327 pack, the 990v3 and the 580. Outside the big sneaker brands, Levi's made a Converse All Star with BEAMS in 2015 using selvedge denim from Cone's White Oak mill in North Carolina. Levi's also reaches into fashion collaborations, most recently a third collection with sacai for Fall/Winter 2026. For the silhouettes behind these releases, see our Air Jordan 4, Air Jordan 3 and New Balance archives.