Before 1934 women would wear men’s 501s but that year they introduced the Lady Levi’s 701, an adapted version of the 501. The 701 remained until the sixties, with a women’s range of 501s finally released in the eighties.

The simple jeans have been the uniform of hippies, gay men (with one or two of the fly buttons left undone and an optional bandana in the back pocket) and off-duty supermodels.

“Its wide-ranging appeal is because of its versatility,” says Panek, who wore the shrink-to-fit styles at high school.

For the sesquicentenary of the 501s in May next year, a global series of concerts is planned, and there are rumours that different styles of the jeans from the past may become available. This capsule collection could stretch back to the earliest jeans, where there was only a back pocket on the right side.

“We call the left back pocket the fight one because it came in last, in 1901,” Panek says. “The little one at the front was for pocket watches.”

Until these become available, Panek says to get the best out of your existing jeans hold off on the cleaning. “Just spot clean them and wash when absolutely necessary. They’re made to last.”