Movie stars like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe may have made Levi’s iconic, but it turns out the heritage brand has famous fans from all fields, including theoretical physics. Levi Strauss & Co. has announced that the company made the winning bid for a brown leather Levi’s “Cossack” jacket owned by Albert Einstein.
The jacket was auctioned on July 14 at Christie’s auction house in London and was acquired by Levi Strauss & Co. for the value of £110,500 ($146,744).
Levi’s wrote in a release that the garment was first purchased by Einstein when he was becoming a US citizen in the mid-1930s, and it later became a staple of his wardrobe. Einstein was often photographed in the jacket, with one of the most famous images being the cover of Time magazine in April 1938.
Tracey Panek, Levi Strauss & Co. historian, said, “Albert Einstein was a genius and an icon. This jacket is just one more example of Levi’s products authentically being at the center of culture.” She continued, “Amazingly, after all these years, Einstein’s jacket retains his scent and smells of smoke. It feels so satisfying to be a part of preserving this history. I’m thrilled to see the product coming home to the LS&Co. Archives.”
