Levi's (Levi Strauss & Co., often referred to as Levi's, Chinese translation: Levis Levis China General Agent: Lihui Commercial Trading Co., Ltd.) is a world-famous private apparel company, known for its jeans Famous, the company was founded in 1853 and is currently owned by Levi Strauss' four nephews. Founder Levi Strauss made the first pair of Levis jeans for mining workers in San Francisco around 1850 from the rough canvas originally used to make tents. Because of the durability of the jeans, they quickly gained popularity among mining workers. By the 1990s, the brand was facing competition from other overseas brands and cheaper products. Production facilities in the United States and Canada have been closed and supplies of finished products come from China, Hong Kong, Colombia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Mexico. In 1850, miners were digging for gold in the mines of California, but they could not buy a pair of trousers that were strong enough to withstand the nature of their work. It wasn't until the young Levi Strauss came to San Francisco to sell fabrics (including canvas for tents) that the situation changed. Strauss used canvas trousers to save the knees of many miners from being bruised. Therefore, the miners called those pants Levi's.