Levi’s, the world’s most famous jeans-maker, is also the owner of the world’s rarest denim collection. And it’s just recreated one of the rarest pairs it's ever found.

The top-tier Levi’s imprint, Levi’s Vintage Clothing, has recreated an 1870s pair of Nevada Jeans, a precursor to the now world-renowned 501, in what Levi’s describes as “a stitch-for-stitch reproduction.” Over 150 years ago, when jeans were still a new invention, this is what blue-collar workers would’ve been buying for utilitarian needs rather than aesthetic appeal. 

As a result, these jeans look a little different from what you’ll find in Levi’s stores today. There’s only one back pocket on the right side and no signature Levi’s red tab label (that wasn’t introduced till 1936), and the back leather patch sits between two waistband buttons for attaching overalls and an adjustable back cinch, a neat detail rarely found on jeans post-World War II.

But the feature that’ll really get denim nerds salivating is a tiny rectangular pocket on the left leg. This is a tool pocket and, according to Paul O’Neill, design director of Levi’s Vintage Clothing, “it was only used for a very short time,” and “is what makes the Nevada so special.”

To ensure the fabric feels just like original denim from the 20th century, Levi’s sourced deadstock unwashed raw Cone White Oak denim from Cone Mills, a Carolinian denim mill that had a 100+-year partnership with Levi’s until it closed in 2017. There isn’t much of this original Cone Mills material still in existence, and as such, there aren’t many $595 American-made Levi’s Nevada Jeans to go around.

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