Real Levi's, and the pair that only says it.
Six checks, from the red tab to the back of the button. A copy fails at least one.
Levi's is the most copied jean on any rack in India, and the copies have got good. They haven't got everything right.
SHOT: RED TAB ON BACK POCKET, CLOSE
Read the Red Tab
The small red tab on the right back pocket should read LEVI'S in clean capitals with a registered ® mark, sewn straight into the pocket seam. On pairs made before 1971 the E is a capital too: the famous Big E. Later pairs read Levi's with a small e.
Copies get the font wrong, crowd the letters, or stitch the tab in at an angle. A tab with only the ® and no word is not automatically fake, though: Levi's has used blank tabs for decades to protect the trademark.
SHOT: BACK POCKET STITCHING, FLAT LIGHT
Trace the arcuate
The double arc stitched on each back pocket is called the arcuate, and Levi's has defended it in court for over a century. On a real pair the two curves meet in a neat diamond at the centre and run evenly to the pocket edges.
Copies wobble. One arc sits higher than the other, the curves flatten out, or the stitch length changes halfway along. Lay the jeans flat and look at both pockets side by side: real ones match.
SHOT: WAISTBAND PATCH, TWO HORSES
Read the patch
The patch on the back waistband shows two horses failing to pull a pair of jeans apart. On a 501 it also carries the lot number and the waist and length, printed or stamped cleanly.
Old patches were leather; most since the 1950s are card or a leather-look material, so a cracked or faded patch is a sign of age, not of a fake. What gives copies away is the printing: a blurry horse, a lot number that doesn't match the cut, or sizes that disagree with the care label inside.
SHOT: BACK OF TOP BUTTON, NUMBER VISIBLE
Flip the button
Turn the waistband over and look at the back of the top button. Levi's stamps a number there that identifies the factory that made the pair. Collectors use it to date and place jeans; copiers rarely bother, so a blank button back is worth a second look.
While you are there, check the copper rivets on the front pockets. Real ones are stamped L S & CO S F, for Levi Strauss & Co. San Francisco. Blank or smudged rivets are a strong sign of a copy.
SHOT: CARE LABEL INSIDE WAISTBAND
Read the inside label
Inside the waistband or side seam, the care label should name the style number (501, 505, 511 and so on), the country of manufacture and the fibre content, in a clean, consistent font. Spelling mistakes, a style number that doesn't match the cut, or a label stitched over another label are all red flags.
Finally, trust your hands. Real Levi's denim is dense and heavy for its style, and older 501s often carry a selvedge edge on the outseam. A thin, papery pair with a perfect red tab is still a thin, papery pair.
- 01Red Tab clean, ® present.
- 02Arcuate even, both pockets.
- 03Patch matches the size.
- 04Button back is numbered.
- 05Rivets stamped L S & CO S F.
- 06Care label names the style.
Questions people ask.
Are the Levi's at Sarojini Nagar real?
Some are genuine export surplus; many are copies, and they often sit on the same rack. Run the six checks. Price is no guide, because copies are priced to look like a lucky find.
What does Big E mean on Levi's?
Before 1971 the Red Tab spelled the name in all capitals, LEVI'S, so the E is capitalised. Collectors call those pairs Big E. From 1971 the tab reads Levi's with a small e.
Where is the factory number on Levi's jeans?
On the back of the top button, inside the waistband. It is a small stamped number identifying the factory that made the pair, and it is one of the details copies most often leave blank.
Any denim rack
Pull three pairs of 501s. Read the tab, the arcuate and the button on each. You will know the copy before you check the price.
You can read a Levi's now. Go find a good one.
Every pair on SZN2 is listed by the curator who found it, one of each, with photos and measurements.
FLD 103Original or first copy: reading a football shirt.
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