Men’s wear became a mounting industry in the late 1800’s. even preceding the Women’s
clothing industry. Larger markets catered to the soldiers of the Mexican American War, prospectors of the California Gold Rush, Civil War Troops and Railroad workers. Rob
Schorman explains, “Examining men’s ready-made clothing reveals how social tensions of the
1890’s—between a longing for stability and belief in progress, for example, or between male
ideals of self-control and those of physical aggressiveness—were at least partially contained.”
As a result, control and progress in turn became pervasive ideas throughout the country but
increasingly concentrated on the West Coast.
San Francisco,
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They cut the pieces to size and
provided instructions for those who had in-home seamstresses, just sew and apply the rivets.
After submitting the 1873 patent, Strauss and Davis sought to develop into manufacturing. Large
homogenous markets offered by the new capitalist industry made possible the production of
large batches of standardized goods. Manufacturing clothing was perceived as cheap and
poorly made. Levi-Strauss and Co. prided itself on quality, even at the price of slight upcharge.
Just as in the case of Levi-Strauss, custom-made clothing represented more than “superior
workmanship”. Strauss worked to ensure that this industrial transition did not tarnish the
company’s reputation for quality materials and product.
Jacob Davis’ patent describes, “The rivet or eyelet is so fastened in the seam as to bind
the two parts of cloth which the seam unites together, so that it shall prevent the stain or pressure
from coming upon the thread in which the seam is sewed.” The addition of rivets assisted in a
smooth transition from hand sewing to factory machinery. Moreover they provided a smooth
transition to the factory