The back pocket flasher is a removable tag, usually placed on the right back pocket of jeans.
It was first introduced in 1937 by Levi’s to highlight the continued presence of the rivets on back pockets, which were now hidden (read more about hidden rivets here).
The flasher featured two arrows pointing to the hidden rivets ensuring “The Rivet’s Still There!” to reassure customers that the quality of earlier models endured in the more modern jeans.
The adoption of the back pocket flasher became almost ubiquitous throughout the jeans industry: companies like Lee have used the flasher of their iconic Rider model to evoke the lifestyle that they were designed for; a cowboy taming a wild mustang.
The back pocket flasher is another jeans branding element that has withstood the test of time, and even the original designs have proven to be so influential that modern brands continue to draw inspiration from them.
Take for example Studio D’Artisan’s flashers, which features similar arrows pointing to hidden rivets on their own garments, and pay subtle homage to the spade-shaped flasher of Lee’s cowboy jeans.
