| Do you own a pair of jeans? Seems like a silly | | | | cowboys especially looked good in them. Soldiers |
| question, doesn't it? Jeans have been a casual part of | | | | during World War II favored wearing denim pants |
| our wardrobe since about the 1950's, and have been a | | | | when they were off duty. Factory workers during the |
| fashionable part of our wardrobe since about the | | | | era also preferred them. Following the war, rival |
| 1970's. | | | | companies like Wrangler and Lee began to challenge |
| Jeans are popularly made of denim these days but in | | | | Levi Strauss for a share of the market. |
| 17th century Europe jean material and denim were | | | | In the 1950's denim jeans became associated with |
| very different. Jean material seems to have originated | | | | rebellious young people. James Dean popularized them |
| in Genoa, Italy, called "bleu de Genes" in French, and | | | | in the movie, "Rebel Without a Cause." Because denim |
| was woven from cotton or linen and sometimes | | | | jeans were identified with non-conformity and rebellion, |
| blended with wool. Denim seems to have originated in | | | | they were sometimes banned in schools, movie |
| France and England, named after Nimes, France, and | | | | theatres, and restaurants. |
| generally called "serge de Nimes." Unlike the jean fabric | | | | In the 1960's and 1970's blue jeans became well |
| the early denim was woven of silk and wool. | | | | accepted for casual wear and became part of |
| However, the denim fabric used a colored thread and | | | | general fashion. During the period different styles of |
| a white thread in the weave, similar to today's denim | | | | jeans were created to match the imaginative fashions. |
| fabric, while the jean fabric used only colored threads. | | | | For example, stone-washed jeans, embroidered jeans, |
| As time went on the denim material evolved into a | | | | painted jeans, and psychedelic jeans were a few of |
| cotton twill weave instead of a wool blend, and it | | | | the styles that young people were buying from an |
| retained its characteristic colored warp thread and | | | | increased number of manufacturers. |
| white fill thread. Its signature blue color became popular | | | | By the 1980's and 1990's famous designers entered |
| when indigo dye was used in the processing. | | | | into the market with their own styles and labels. Jeans |
| By the 18th century a sail cloth was being made at | | | | entered the fashion market and the prices of the |
| Dongari Killa near Mumbai, India. The cloth was a | | | | designer products went surprisingly high. Levi Strauss |
| coarsely woven, undyed cotton fabric used by various | | | | lost market share and had to close some of its |
| naval sailing vessels. The cloth was often reused by | | | | factories. Also during this period other styles of pants |
| sailors to make clothing such as overalls. Eventually the | | | | such as khakis, chinos, and carpenter pants began to |
| overalls and pants made from this material became | | | | compete with traditional blue jeans. |
| known as dungarees. | | | | Now into the 2000's blue jeans survive as a utility pant |
| In the 19th century the California Gold Rush gold miners | | | | for much of the population. It is said that the average |
| needed strong pants that did not tear easily. Luckily, a | | | | American owns about seven pairs. On the other hand, |
| Bavarian-born immigrant named Loeb Strauss obtained | | | | however, denim pants have reached a new high in the |
| his American citizenship and journeyed to San | | | | fashion industry. There now seems to be no upper limit |
| Francisco. He changed his name to Levi and produced | | | | on the price that can be charged for a pair of ultra |
| some sturdy pants for the gold miners. Eventually he | | | | designer jeans. Big name designers have reinvented |
| reinforced the pockets and weak points of the pants | | | | the top of the line fashion jeans. |
| with copper rivets. In 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob | | | | Judging from the history of blue jeans there will |
| Davis received a patent for the copper rivet | | | | continue to be innovations in styles and processing. |
| reinforcements and the pants now known as "levis" | | | | There will undoubtedly be new applications of denim |
| became popular among working men. | | | | fabric as the material becomes useful in many other |
| In the 1930's and 1940's denim pants grew in popularity. | | | | products. And undoubtedly there will be new styles of |
| Cowboys gravitated toward them and movie | | | | denim pants to attract us and make us look good. |