Second Hand Lee Archives 1936 Hair on Hide Jeans

Lee Jeans is one of the most iconic brands when it comes to making blue jeans. The company has it's roots in Kansas and was founded back in 1889. They introduced the Union-All work jumpsuit in 1913 and since then the brand has been synonymous with workwear. In the 30's Lee started making jeans intended to be worn by working cowboys and during the next couple of decades they supplied America with durable workwear for a numbers of different occupations.  

This is a reproduction of the Lee Hair on Hide Cowboy jeans from 1936. Designed to be worn by cowboys and intended to be comfortable to wear when riding a horse. Therefore the pockets are placed high on the hips and with a good space in between them, making the pants comfortable to wear when seated in the saddle. This placement also makes the pockets easy to reach into when sitting down! Another detail that is a trade mark of Lee jeans is the crossed bartacks that reinforces the edges of the back pockets. These bartacks add the same durability to the pocket construction as Levi's metal rivets but without the risk of scratching the leather of a saddle, car seat or a wooden chair. 

The so called "lazy S" seams that decorates the back pockets are shaped as the horns of a longhorn cattle, no doubt a reference to the cowboy culture. On these, you can see that the shape of the seam is something in between the Lazy S and Arucate that we associate with Levi's. The reason for this is that Levi's got a trade mark on the back pocket stitch in 1947, so the original of these Lee jeans actually has an Arcuate like so many other jeans historically before Levi's managed to trade mark it.

Lee jeans were also famous for using so called "left hand twill" fabric. This is a weaving technique that makes the diagonal pattern in the denim fabric rise from the right upwards to the left, as opposed to the more common denim used for jeans where the diagonal goes from left to right. Because of the twisting of the yarn that is added when a left hand twill is woven the fabric becomes softer and fades faster than a right hand twill, qualities that anyone who has worn a pair of vintage Lee jeans will recognize.  

These jeans are cut with a high waist and wide legs, intended to be comfortable to wear and easy to wear on top of a pair of cowboy boots. 

These jeans are second hand and has been worn. As you can see by the pictures they have been worn and loved for years giving them an amazing patina! There are no size label so we recommend you to see the size chart for exact measurements. But we estimate them to be a W30.

Hemming is always included when you purchase a pair of jeans from us! Give us a comment or an email when you place your order and we will shorten them before we send them. Keep in mind that you won't be able to return the jeans if we alter the length for you.

- Second Hand Lee Archives 1936 Hair on Hide Jeans
- No size label but we estimate them to be a W30
- 100% cotton
- Signature crossed bartacks on the corners of the backpockets
- Signature Lee branding iron hair on hide leather patch
- Signature Lee Cowboy top button
- Lined back pockets for added durability
- Button fly
- Belt loops
- Made in Japan

All measurements are in centimeters and measured on a flat surface. The thigh measurements are taken 10 centimeters down from the crotch straight across the pant leg.