Levi's Shirt Dating/Legit Check?

[JimR56]

Hi everyone, I just joined today after finding this thread via an online search for info on vintage Levi's shirts. I happen to love these shirts, and have collected quite a few of them in a surprisingly large variety of colors. I've collected them in two styles: the type with metal/rivet buttons, and double chest pockets without flaps (manufactured in many different countries); as well as the "Barstow" style with western chest and pocket patterning, black/white marbled snap buttons and double chest pockets with flaps. These shirts with marbled snaps were also manufactured all over the world, but today tend to be found most often in Europe, were they were apparently marketed most heavily. I owned a couple of the metal buttoned variety back in the 90's, but it was only a few years ago (during the pandemic) that I began to "collect" them and really appreciate them for their comfort and style and great utility. I have also collected a couple of examples with Levi's advertising embroidered on the back of the shirt (as in my avatar).

What many people don't seem to realize is that the large majority of these shirts had manufacturing dates (month and year; or "quarter" and year) printed on a white tag that was located toward the bottom of the inner side stitch on the left side of the shirt. In addition to product code numbers printed in black ink on these white tags, there would almost always be a date included, such as "1Q 93", or "3QTR 94" or "11 / 95". In some cases, I've found the ink on these inner tags to be washed away completely or very faint due to that particular shirt having been washed many times, but generally these tags are still readable.

I've seen photos of tags dating from the late 1980's, but one has to consider that there were different shirt designs and different labels used over time. The earliest date in my collection (with the green-bordered Levi's label like the one in the opening post above) is from 1992. I have also seen youth shirts with the same label, but the borders are reddish rather than green. This green-bordered label was in use up to 1994. In 1995, Levi's changed the label design (the top and bottom green borders were removed), and this borderless label was also used in 1996. In 1997, the label design changed again to the "Red Tab Jeanswear" label. Somewhere between 1998 and the early 2000's, the labels were further simplified, and date tags were no longer included in the shirts.

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In addition to having gathered more information about the label changes after 1997, I just recently learned another detail (something I had stated incorrectly above). Thanks to an ebay seller who suddenly listed a boatload of shirts, all with date stamps meticulously included and photographed, I learned that date stamping on the white inner side seam tags continued at least through 2004. Anyway, I also can now add images of the post-1997 labels. A black label with a "red tab" insert was used in 1998 and 1999; and both red and red&white rectangular labels were used from 2000 through (at least) 2004. I will be adding these images to the Label Resource here on the VFG.

 

[JimR56]

Three more to add to the above post...

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And another (I'm always looking for more examples of these, even though they're getting harder to find)...

Levi Strauss - "The Original of California Born and Worn"

 

[JimR56]

Thought I would share an image of the Levi's advertising shirts that I've collected. Happy Holidays to everyone here at the VFG.

 

[theopshoproc]

This is such a cool collection! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Elsewhere]

Great information, Jim!
I went down a LEVI's dating rabbit-hole a few months ago trying to pinpoint the age of a few pairs of more recent vintage Levi's women's jeans (not that my customers *really* care if they're 80s, 90s or Y2k... but dang it, *I DO!*) - and it's crazy all the little details that go into dating their stuff!
I guess that's true of vintage in general!
Nice to have more info - thanks!

 

[JimR56]

Here's one more that I recently found. The color is a nice burgundy, slightly different from any other color I already owned. But what really made it a cool find was that it was the first one of these that I've come across (since the 1990's, that is) with intact tags and original packaging. It even had the inner tissue paper and the cardboard collar support! It was fun to see the "Authentic Jeanswear" card on the front, something I remember but had forgotten about.

 

[BigMunnyMunro]

I created an account just to share with the dude with all the multi coloured Levi’s shirts that I have found a new colour (light dusty peach? Orange) and a new version of the same basic tag (Canadian Bilingual + Canadian care label, most likely made at the former GWG plant)

 

[JimR56]

That's really cool- thanks for registering and sharing! I may have come across that shirt, or something very similar (may have passed because it's a size S, which is usually too small for me). Any date code on the other side of that inner tag? Love the bilingual label... don't think I have that particular label in my collection. I also like that you called it "dusty peach". I do the same thing in terms of giving specific names to various more obscure colors.

Help me out here... what's the "GWG plant"?

Since I last posted here, I've found some more shirts (rivet buttons, marbled snaps, and a few more advertising shirts). Here's one that's very close in color (if not identical?) to yours, an advertising shirt dating to 1991 that I got from a seller in England. I listed the color in my inventory as "apricot".

An updated shot of the advertising shirt collection:

Of course, it's getting harder and harder for me to find designs that I don't already have. There's at least one more that I know exists, because I passed on it due to it being in ragged condition. Would love to track one down in decent condition:

 

[BigMunnyMunro]

That's really cool- thanks for registering and sharing! I may have come across that shirt, or something very similar (may have passed because it's a size S, which is usually too small for me). Any date code on the other side of that inner tag? Love the bilingual label... don't think I have that particular label in my collection. I also like that you called it "dusty peach". I do the same thing in terms of giving specific names to various more obscure colors.

Help me out here... what's the "GWG plant"?

Since I last posted here, I've found some more shirts (rivet buttons, marbled snaps, and a few more advertising shirts). Here's one that's very close in color (if not identical?) to yours, an advertising shirt dating to 1991 that I got from a seller in England. I listed the color in my inventory as "apricot".

View attachment 189459 View attachment 189458

An updated shot of the advertising shirt collection:

View attachment 189460

Of course, it's getting harder and harder for me to find designs that I don't already have. There's at least one more that I know exists, because I passed on it due to it being in ragged condition. Would love to track one down in decent condition:

View attachment 189461

The Great Western Garment company (or GWG) was a Canadian manufacturer of work clothes and jeans that was founded in 1911, by 1961 they had grown large enough that they gained the attention of Levi’s who purchased 75% ownership in the company and began to use their plants to manufacture some of their products as well, Levi’s eventually went on to purchase the remaining shares in 1981 acquiring the company outright. I believe all Levi’s products that are labeled as made in Canada were produced at the GWG facilities concurrently with the “real” GWG jeans at least until the closure of the plant in march 2004 which means that production of Canadian Levi’s continued for a few months longer than American ones (the last American Levi’s plant in San Antonio closed in late 2003)
As for the sizing I was a little worried too at first but it fits more like a size 40 chest size which is on the smaller end of medium but larger than a small
There’s no info at least that I can find in terms of date on the care tag, I think this is because of the Canada specific woven multicolour tag, there may have been a printed fabric ticket at some point with a date code but it appears to have long since disappeared

I also have a question about the snaps on yours, mine appear to be Scovill “Gripper” snaps which I believe somewhat helps date it but I’m not sure (I tried to get a picture but it’s difficult to make out)

 

[BigMunnyMunro]

The Great Western Garment company (or GWG) was a Canadian manufacturer of work clothes and jeans that was founded in 1911, by 1961 they had grown large enough that they gained the attention of Levi’s who purchased 75% ownership in the company and began to use their plants to manufacture some of their products as well, Levi’s eventually went on to purchase the remaining shares in 1981 acquiring the company outright. I believe all Levi’s products that are labeled as made in Canada were produced at the GWG facilities concurrently with the “real” GWG jeans at least until the closure of the plant in march 2004 which means that production of Canadian Levi’s continued for a few months longer than American ones (the last American Levi’s plant in San Antonio closed in late 2003)
As for the sizing I was a little worried too at first but it fits more like a size 40 chest size which is on the smaller end of medium but larger than a small
There’s no info at least that I can find in terms of date on the care tag, I think this is because of the Canada specific woven multicolour tag, there may have been a printed fabric ticket at some point with a date code but it appears to have long since disappeared View attachment 189467 View attachment 189468

I also have a question about the snaps on yours, mine appear to be Scovill “Gripper” snaps which I believe somewhat helps date it but I’m not sure (I tried to get a picture but it’s difficult to make out)View attachment 189466

One thing I forgot to note, this type of care label with the colour coded pictograms (the colours meaning wether a cleaning process is recommended (green), recommended against (red) or recommended with caution (yellow)) was used in Canada from around 1970 up until approximately the mid 1990s when the design was switched to simple monochrome.

I’m not sure on the specifics of what clothes were given this label and which ones weren’t, but from the absolute best that I can tell it was only ever used on clothes made in Canada, specifically intended for sale in the Canadian market which is why I’m fairly confident my shirt was made in Canada at the GWG plant

 

[BigMunnyMunro]

The Great Western Garment company (or GWG) was a Canadian manufacturer of work clothes and jeans that was founded in 1911, by 1961 they had grown large enough that they gained the attention of Levi’s who purchased 75% ownership in the company and began to use their plants to manufacture some of their products as well, Levi’s eventually went on to purchase the remaining shares in 1981 acquiring the company outright. I believe all Levi’s products that are labeled as made in Canada were produced at the GWG facilities concurrently with the “real” GWG jeans at least until the closure of the plant in march 2004 which means that production of Canadian Levi’s continued for a few months longer than American ones (the last American Levi’s plant in San Antonio closed in late 2003)
As for the sizing I was a little worried too at first but it fits more like a size 40 chest size which is on the smaller end of medium but larger than a small
There’s no info at least that I can find in terms of date on the care tag, I think this is because of the Canada specific woven multicolour tag, there may have been a printed fabric ticket at some point with a date code but it appears to have long since disappeared View attachment 189467 View attachment 189468

I also have a question about the snaps on yours, mine appear to be Scovill “Gripper” snaps which I believe somewhat helps date it but I’m not sure (I tried to get a picture but it’s difficult to make out)View attachment 189466

Also also, I noticed on mine that the left hand chest pocket has a quite prominent bartacked and reinforced pen slot at the top of the flap, not super huge but I noticed none of yours from the photos have this

 

[JimR56]

Thanks for the info on the GWG, etc. There is still a lot for me to learn about the manufacturing history surrounding these shirts. I didn’t even know about the San Antonio plant you referred to.

Wow, your mention of the Scovill gripper snaps took me down a rabbit hole (in a pleasant way, for someone like me who is very detail oriented). I had only casually noticed the differences between the various types of snaps on the shirts in my collection, and had never gotten out a magnifying glass (I’m getting old) to inspect them more closely.

So, I have about a half dozen shirts with Scovill gripper snaps, and all but one were made in Thailand (the other was made in China). They all seem to date from 1989 to 1991. And btw, there is another version of the gripper that used a different lettering stamp design from the one in your photo. One of these has only the “gripper” stamp, and no “Scovill” stamp.

Then I have a couple of shirts with snaps marked “KLIKIT”. One was made in Tunisia, the other in Portugal, and both were purchased from eastern Europe. There are also a few oddball snaps marked “W H” (shirt made in Indonesia), “C.F.” (unknown manuf. location), and a couple of unmarked snaps. But the great majority of my shirts with marbled snaps (made in Hong Kong, Phillipines, Indonesia, Tunisia, and Portuagal) are marked with “L.S. & Co.”

I think you’re likely correct regarding your shirt being manufactured in Canada. And speaking of your shirt, and the pen slot at the left pocket, that is indeed pretty unusual on this general style of Levi’s denim shirt. In 1993, Levi’s produced (in India) a substantial run of shirts with pen slots (and an embroidered “Levi Strauss” above the pocket), but the slot was on the opposite side of the pocket, and those shirts were a lighter cotton fabric.

I do have one Levi’s denim shirt with a pen slot like yours, though. It’s one of my most unusual finds. It’s labeled as being made in Taiwan, but I bought it from a seller in Hamilton, Ontario. It has a neck label that I haven’t seen another example of (also bilingual w/french); squared off pocket flaps; unmarked marbled snaps; a unique color (I call it “marigold”); and perhaps most notably, some unique embroidery at the upper chest. Maybe the most unique shirt I have found.

 

[JimR56]

Better shot of the pocket area

 

[BigMunnyMunro]

Thanks for the info on the GWG, etc. There is still a lot for me to learn about the manufacturing history surrounding these shirts. I didn’t even know about the San Antonio plant you referred to.

Wow, your mention of the Scovill gripper snaps took me down a rabbit hole (in a pleasant way, for someone like me who is very detail oriented). I had only casually noticed the differences between the various types of snaps on the shirts in my collection, and had never gotten out a magnifying glass (I’m getting old) to inspect them more closely.

So, I have about a half dozen shirts with Scovill gripper snaps, and all but one were made in Thailand (the other was made in China). They all seem to date from 1989 to 1991. And btw, there is another version of the gripper that used a different lettering stamp design from the one in your photo. One of these has only the “gripper” stamp, and no “Scovill” stamp.

Then I have a couple of shirts with snaps marked “KLIKIT”. One was made in Tunisia, the other in Portugal, and both were purchased from eastern Europe. There are also a few oddball snaps marked “W H” (shirt made in Indonesia), “C.F.” (unknown manuf. location), and a couple of unmarked snaps. But the great majority of my shirts with marbled snaps (made in Hong Kong, Phillipines, Indonesia, Tunisia, and Portuagal) are marked with “L.S. & Co.”

I think you’re likely correct regarding your shirt being manufactured in Canada. And speaking of your shirt, and the pen slot at the left pocket, that is indeed pretty unusual on this general style of Levi’s denim shirt. In 1993, Levi’s produced (in India) a substantial run of shirts with pen slots (and an embroidered “Levi Strauss” above the pocket), but the slot was on the opposite side of the pocket, and those shirts were a lighter cotton fabric.

I do have one Levi’s denim shirt with a pen slot like yours, though. It’s one of my most unusual finds. It’s labeled as being made in Taiwan, but I bought it from a seller in Hamilton, Ontario. It has a neck label that I haven’t seen another example of (also bilingual w/french); squared off pocket flaps; unmarked marbled snaps; a unique color (I call it “marigold”); and perhaps most notably, some unique embroidery at the upper chest. Maybe the most unique shirt I have found.

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Slight correction about my snaps, they only say gripper, not scovill, but I recognized the gripper brand as being scovill

And yeah the fabric on my shirt is definitely not light weight, it’s pretty much the exact same weight as some of my vintage jeans, so it’s probably around a 10oz weight which is really nice and thick for a shirt

 

[JimR56]

Trying to upload a better/larger image of the advertising shirts...

 

[GoodGroovesVintage]

Hi! Thank you @JimR56 for sharing your knowledge and collection! It has been an excellent read!

I have found an interesting shirt that seems authentic but I can't find any labels that look like this so I'm cautious if it is legit. The small care tag says 3Q'95 but the tag material isn't very usual for the time. Maybe you have some other examples with this kind of care tag? I tried googling all the numbers in the tag but couldn't find anything that could come in use.

The large Levi Strauss & Co logo tag is in grey and beige that I haven't found for now anywhere else (tried Google Lens, looked at Etsy, Ebay lisitngs, on Youtube). The small Levi's tag is white and black that can be seen in corduroy and cotton items so that seems ok. Rivets have the initials as they should I think. But the shape of the shirt is quite long and more fitted than usual 90s shirts that are quite wide. It's labeled size M and is quite long on the model 5'7''/170cm (shirt measures shoulder to hem 33''/84cm, shoulders 18''/46cm, pit to pit 21,5''/55cm, sleeve 26''/66cm). Initially I thought it's from the 2000s but the tag threw me off with the 3Q'95. May I ask for your insights on this?

Thank you in advance!
All the best,
Anete

 

[JimR56]

Hi Anete! Thanks so much for joining the discussion- I'm glad you've enjoyed reading the comments!

I do think your shirt is 100% legit. It’s a great looking shirt, and appears to be a high quality Levi’s product. I have seen quite a variety of different collar labels, front tags, etc. on shirts from the 90’s (really, you might be surprised at how many different label designs exist). Although I’ve saved a few photos of various labels, I haven’t really attempted to make a full study of them all. I mainly focus on the few specific shirt designs that I collect, and the labels that appear on those. But I’ve seen numerous different designs that are relatively scarce (this likely has to do with where they were manufactured and marketed, in various places around the world). The “marigold” shirt that I posted above is a good example of this. I’ve yet to see another one like it, but I have no doubt that it’s a licensed product by Levi’s.

Back to your shirt… I think I may have seen that label before- I’m just not certain. But it looks more than legit to me in its details and its form and design. I’ve definitely seen those metal snaps, the white pocket tab of course, and also the more sharply angled version of the “barstow” style cut at the upper chest. I also have seen different materials used for care tags, and I wouldn’t be at all concerned about the care tag on your shirt being a “red flag”. The stamping on it looks entirely correct for a Levi's product. The only surprise for me is that you didn't mention any tag showing a manufacturing location... which is sometimes located in the collar area, and sometimes along a side seam. But tags sometimes get removed- especially in the collar area (where they can sometimes irritate the skin of some owners).

The color of the shirt is conservative, but it has character and a certain elegance. I think it’s attractive, and looks nice on the model. To me, the shirt’s cut and the style make it more interesting and special than some of the more generic and common designs. And you’re right about the “fitted” nature of it being unusual. With the designs that I collect, a size Medium normally measures 23” to 24” across the chest. Anyway, if it hasn’t been crudely altered (I had that unfortunate experience once), and if it’s a good fit for you, I think it’s a nice find.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if I overlooked anything, and thanks again for joining in!
Best, Jim

 

[JimR56]

Oops, one other thought to add. I wonder if it's possible that the shirt was marketed as a women's product. Although the label doesn't specify this (as they sometimes do), it does say "Quality Tops". In the U.S., the word "top" is associated more with women's wear, as opposed to "shirts". If so, this might help to explain the relatively narrow chest measurement. ? Anyway, this doesn't change anything I already said about the quality of the shirt. Just something to consider.

 

[GoodGroovesVintage]

Dear Jim,

Thank you so much for your detailed response and expertise! You are awesome!!! )
Yes, I didn't find the manufacturing tag on the seams that's why I left that part out. The shirt haven't been altered so the shape is really different for the mid-90s! I guess it could be made for the more conservative men (also what you said about the colour!) that would like to wear more fitted clothes, possibly tuck the shirt in. Although the rounded bottom hem indicates that it can be worn outside the pants too..

It's an interesting thought that it might be women's shirt but the buttons are on the right side that usually is for men's shirts and women's tend to have them on the left (historical sidenote: it's because wealthy women didn't dress themselves but with the help of a maid and it made it easier for right-handed maids to close the buttons). Also the sleeves are longer than women's usually would be. But when selling I might as well tag it as a gender-neutral.

Thanks again!

All the best,
Anete