Levi Strauss & Co. ( /ˌliːvaɪ ˈstrɔːs/), also known as LS&CO or simply Levi's, is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand ofdenim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim,Bavaria, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business. In 1873 Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent to make the first riveted men's work pants out of denim: the first blue jeans. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants and relatives of Levi Strauss's four nephews. The company's corporate headquarters is located at Levi's Plaza in San Francisco.[2]