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Jacob W. Davis

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Craftsman

The Resume

    (March 14, 1830-January 20, 1908)
    Born in Riga, Latvia
    Birth name was Jacob Youphes
    Tailor
    Invented denim blue jeans, using rivets to reinforce weak points (1870)
    Went into business with cloth supplier Levi Strauss to mass produce the jeans (1873)

Why he might be annoying:

    He made several attempts to branch out into other businesses – brewing, panning for gold, running a cigar store – but always returned to being a tailor.
    He gave up half the patent rights to Strauss in return for Strauss ponying up the $68 to cover the cost of the patent application.
    He was overshadowed by Strauss.
    His jeans originally had a reinforcing rivet at the crotch, but that got nixed after he received complaints from miners about the effect of wearing the jeans too close to a campfire while going commando.

Why he might not be annoying:

    By reinforcing the jeans with rivets, he created a pair of pants that lasted through years of wearing and washing.
    His jeans were an immediate hit; within a year, he was unable to keep up with the demand (another reason for partnering with Strauss).
    He also designed the distinctive pocket stitching on Levi’s jeans, which was later registered as a trademark.
    One of his grandsons founded the Ben Davis clothing line (1935).
    A historical marker was erected in Reno, Nevada, at the location of the tailor shop where he made the first blue jeans (2006).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 25.00% Annoying