Levi Strauss: The Innovative Inventor of Blue Jeans | Leo & Layla | PragerU Kids

[Music] how's it going Leo I see you and Dad are almost done with the Treehouse yeah but it definitely hasn't been easy it's been way harder oh no my favorite pair of shorts building this treehouse has been beyond frustrating and now my shorts too I give up oh Leo I'm sorry I didn't realize the Treehouse has been such a challenge and your rip short are an added bummer I just wish I knew how to fix them and Mom's not home right now hey maybe an old timey person will be good at sewing why don't we search for an expert you mean you actually want to go time traveling with me of course I do we got to turn that frown upside down [Music] ah this makes sense I've always seen this name on my jeans ooh let's see if this gentleman can help excuse me sir could you please tell us where we could get someone to fix my ripped shorts I can indeed my name is Levi Strauss and I own the company you see right here I specialize in dry goods and be more than happy to help nice to meet you Mr Strauss yes Mr Strauss my name is Leila and this is my little brother Leo we've traveled here from the future it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance but please call me Levi a I've always requested my employees do the same all right mister I mean Levi you said you specialize in Dry Goods what are those Dry Goods usually include anything other than food or building materials so my company sells Fabric and sewing supplies as well as items of clothing like shirts pants coats and hats wow so we have arrived in the perfect place Levi how did you get your start in this business it All Began back in my hometown of bonheim Bavaria which is a state in Germany my my father was a very hardworking man who made his living as a door-to-door Salesman he would sell supplies needed for sewing like threads bottons on fabric nice so you followed in your Father's Footsteps I want to do that too and maybe start my own business one day just like our dad yes my brothers and I did eventually continue the family business my parents wanted me and my six siblings to have a fair shot in life and regrettably in the 1840s there weren't many opportunities for people like us to be successful people like you what do you mean in the time I grew up the majority of the people who lived in Bavaria were catholic my family and I are Jewish and unfortunately we were not always accepted members of society they treated you differently just because of your religion that's discrimination indeed it was my dear boy it made life for all of us very challenging they told us where to live on what jobs we could have they even banned door-to-door selling because they thought it was not a respectable occupation to have oh no what did your family do we had a comfortable life and until my father passed away then my mother made the decision for us to move to America because she felt that we stood a better chance there where we could have the same opportunities as anyone else that's how you ended up here not quite my two brothers had left for New York a few years earlier they started their own dry goods company and the plan was for the rest of us to join them so that I could start learning the family business too so many of the men and women we visited during our travels have said that America has always been known as the land of opportunity and New York sure sounds like it was the place to for people to make a new start it definitely was so at the rip old age of 19 I set sale with my family to America awesome like a family cruise actually it was very unpleasant and took several weeks several weeks I get Restless when we have to travel for more than a couple of hours I don't think I'd farewell having to be on a boat for that long The Voyage was difficult to say the least because our family was poor we had to travel in steerage which means the lowest section of the ship let's just say that it wasn't necessarily smooth sailing a bumpy ride that sounds like fun no way that sounds miserable did any of the passengers get seasick well they sure did to make matters even worse food and water was scarce and there was no way for people to bathe I can tell you that when we landed in New York we were very happy for many reasons I got straight to work and I started learning English it was around that time that I decided to change my name wait your name isn't really Levi why did you change your name I was born L stros but I found that Levi was easier for American customers to pronounce we then started hearing news that gold had been found in the state of California many people got Gold Fever and rushed off to try and strike his Rich we're learning about the gold Russian social studies oh I wish I could have been a minor panning for gold all day it sounds like such an exciting time it was and my family saw that California presented a new set of opportunities for me to start a West Coast branch of our company and since I was the youngest sibling who wasn't married it made the most sense for me to embark on the journey to California in my mid-20s wow so you not only traveled all the way to California by yourself but then you were in charge of starting a new business all on your own too no wonder you've been successful Mr I mean Levi you were really Brave and confident actually I had many worries but that's part of the process whenever anyone starts something new there is always a period of adjustment doubts can enter your mind but when they do you have to talk to yourself in a positive way or to remind yourself that it's natural to feel nervous or frustrated especially when things don't turn out the way you expect them to that's good to know even someone like you who had tons of experience still felt frustrated I'm in the middle of building a treehouse with my dad there are times when I just want to give up starting something from the ground up is always a daunting task but with hard work and perseverance which means having a never give up attitude especially when there are bumps in the road the path to success becomes a bit easier so even though there were challenges you used hard work and determination to succeed absolutely I never let setbacks cause me to lose sight of my goals I always made sure to run an honest business with quality merchandise I was very pleased that my supplies were in high demand during the Gold Rush customers trusted me with their business which came in handy when a man came to me with an exciting new design for pants can I take a guess does it have to do with blue jeans you are correct around 1872 I received a letter from one of my customers by the name of Jacob Davis he was a tailor who got a request from a local woman to make more doable pants for her husband he was a minor who would go through his pants too quickly ooh ooh ooh I want to hear what his new design was Leila maybe we can use it to fix my shorts workers like ranchers Miners and Carpenters complained that their pants were not sturdy enough much like Julio their pockets would often rip off easily especially if they were carrying Tools in them yeah it's the worst your dilemma is a typical one my boy so Jacob added rivets or tiny metal fasteners to the areas that were most susceptible to ripping like the pockets and U near the zipper I never knew what the rivets Were Meant to do I thought they were just for fashion but now I know they actually serve a purpose a very important purpose at that Jacob's pants were an immediate success on soon he was selling hundreds of pairs he came to me looking to go into a partnership he would be in charge of making the pants for my company while I would stick to the materials which was always my area of expertise sewing was never my strong suit onto thus the blue jean was born Levi I think you'll be pleased to know that many people in the future wear blue jeans not just ranchers Miners and Carpenters they're still super popular see I'm even wearing a pair right now boy oh boy those sure look different from the ones we are making in the factory right now yeah in the future they come in all different fits Styles colors and washes some even come with rips already in them rips already in them but we put the rivets in them to prevent The Ripping I know right but for some reason it's become fashionable oh dear I don't think I'll share that information with Jacob I don't think he'd like that very much our parents don't like them either well I'm glad that we made a product that has withstood the test of time with my company becoming more and more successful I always felt that it was important to give back to the community I always remember what it was like to grow up with very very little and feel that is my duty now that I have much more to be generous with causes that are near and dear to my heart yeah our parents in Sunday school teachers are always reminding us of the importance of Charity and that we need to donate money but also donate our our time to help others in need yes little Leo during the Civil War I was a big supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and believed in his mission to preserve the union I made donations to hospitals to help create better conditions for the soldiers who needed medical attention I also give orphanages and have created scholarships for students who want to attend college after all I truly believe that our country's future is in the hands of young people just like the two of you you're a true patriot Levi coming to this country is a hardworking immigrant creating a successful business and then giving back in so many ways what an inspiration why thank you miss Lea and if I can impart my wisdom on you it would be that life can be tough at times but it is important for you to be tough as well when life gives you lemons try your best to make lemonade or when life rips your shorts add rivets yes Leo and now about those shorts how would you like a pair of our newest jeans here's a pair for you to Ila I think you'll find them to be quite durable while you finish your treehouse two horses can't even rip them apart thank you Levi we've learned so much from you today and I know Leo will use your advice as soon as we get home yes thank you Levi I'll remember not to give up when there are bumps in the road I need to keep pushing myself so I can accomplish what I set my mind to like building the greatest treehouse ever that's it Leo safe travels to the both of you I'm so glad you decided to help me finish the Treehouse Leila well like Levi told us it's important to work hard and help others when you can I'd like to follow in his footsteps and to think you learned all of that just because I ripped my shorts if you'd like a time travel with Leo and Lea again please visit prou kids.com and watch more of their Adventures