Levi’s Hasn’t Made Jeans Like This in Nearly 100 Years

Belts are so ubiquitous now that you might assume they’ve been around forever. But the truth is they’re a relatively recent addition to guys’ everyday wardrobes.

Before World War I, most men used suspenders or, if their pants had them, cinches stitched to the back of their jeans or trousers. At the time, waistlines sat higher and were designed to stay up without a belt, with the accessory largely reserved for military getups.

Levi’s

It was no different for workwear. The ever-iconic 501 blue jean, first developed by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in 1873, spent the first 49 years of its existence without any belt loops whatsoever.

The birth of belt loops

That all changed in 1922, when Levi’s first added them to the 501 — a watershed moment for not only denim design but menswear as a whole.

In some ways, WWI had already set the stage. Soldiers returning home from the war favored simple, utilitarian garments, leading to a decline in formalwear and tailoring. Waistlines dropped and belts came squarely into the fold.

Levi’s

However, it would take another two decades for them to take over completely.

At first, Levi’s gave wearers the choice with jeans that featured all three options: loops, suspender buttons and back cinches. According to the brand, “younger men cut off the cinch in order to wear a belt, while more traditional users kept the cinch and wore suspenders.”

Finally, caving into lower waistlines and shifting trends, Levi’s dropped the suspender buttons in the 1930s, while the back cinch made it all the way to 1942 — halfway through Second World War.

A blast from the past

Today, a vast majority of blue jeans strictly feature belt loops, and it’d be unique to find anything with suspender buttons, let alone a cinch.

Nevertheless, unique is probably the best word to describe Levi’s latest release — a stitch-for-stitch remake of the brand’s first pair of blue jeans with belt loops from 1922.

Levi’s

New Release

Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1922 Japan 501 Men’s Jeans

• $495 at Levi's

Made with Japanese selvedge denim, the jeans feature belt loops, suspender buttons and an adjustable cinch. They also boast historically accurate branding on the back leather patch and buttons, albeit translated into Japanese for a twist on the original.

Levi’s

Unfortunately, the new jeans are limited to just 800 pairs globally and cost $495. But the price tag will likely do little to deter denim heads with a taste for blue-jean pedigree.

Just don’t expect many of them to cut off the cinch, even if the focus here are those now-ubiquitous belt loops.

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