Levis Vintage Men's Knappave 1880's Rigid Denim Jeans

 Men's vintage jeans

Knappave 1880's Rigid Jeans

These Nevada Jean style work pants have been cropped - almost shredded - below the knee. This pair was purchased from a vintage clothing dealer in the summer of 2001, soon after LS&CO. acquired the famous Nevada Jean on Ebay for $46,532. Interesting, this cut off pair was also found in Nevada - in a silver mine near the town of Tonopah, located about 200 miles from present-day Las Vegas. These waist overalls were made in LS&CO.'s San Francisco factory in the 1880s, with denim purchased from the Amoskeag Mill in Manchester, New Hampshire.

And why were the leg's cut off? Well, there are a few possible reasons. Sometimes when men's work pants got torn, the wearers would just cut off the rippsed portion and use the denim pieces to patch another pair of pants. Often the denim would be used as a sweat rag, or - if the owner was a miner - it would be wrapped around the hands before using a pick or shovel, in order to protect the hands from blistering. It's possible this pair was worn even after being cut off, but it's more likely that the pants were left behind to be "recycled". The original pair lives in a fireproof safe in the Levi Strauss & Co. Archives in San Francisco.

Finish Features

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