Once, for Soviet people, good jeans were an unattainable dream, and brands like Wrangler, Levi’s, and Colin’s were considered almost sacred. However, quality jeans could be produced here, even in the Russian Empire. Contrary to popular belief, jeans were not invented by an American, but by a Russian emigrant, Jacob Jofis. His life was not easy.

Jacob was born in Riga in 1832. To ensure he could support himself in the future, his parents sent him to learn in a tailoring workshop. The conditions there were harsh: children sometimes slept on the floor, unable to finish their work, and the master was rude and also a drunkard. However, despite this, he was a good teacher, and Jofis emerged from the workshop as an experienced tailor. He did not stay long in his homeland. At that time, there was a strong German oppression in the Baltics, and complaints about the barons went unheard by the authorities.

When life became extremely difficult, Jofis decided to emigrate to the USA, where the Gold Rush was in full swing. For 14 years, he searched for gold, invested money in a brewery, and went bankrupt, then built a cigar factory, but it closed after three months. Left with nothing, Jofis remembered his tailoring skills.

One day, a regular customer came to him and complained about her overweight husband, who constantly tore his pants. Jofis jokingly suggested sewing him pants from the canvas he used to make tents for the prospectors. The woman did not get the joke, gave him three dollars, and left. Thus, Jacob had to sew jeans, reinforcing the pockets with rivets. Surprisingly, the pants pleased the customer.

Since then, jeans began to gain popularity in California. Unfortunately, Jofis did not have the money for a patent, and he sold his invention to Levi Strauss for 68 dollars. Strauss began producing jeans under his name, while Jofis worked for him as the production manager.