Without Strauss’s marketing skills, it’s unlikely that blue jeans would still be worn by people from all walks of life who want to rock a chill vibe. It wouldn’t surprise me if Pope Francis has a pair stashed away for vacays at Castel Gandolfo.
Strauss’s talent was for business. He didn’t invent anything, and he didn’t get rich overnight, but when he died in 1902, he left his very lucky nephews a fortune worth more than $177 million in today’s dollars. In 2018, the company that bears his name reported assets of over $3.5 billion.