The History of Jeans

It would be safe to assume that nearly everyone in the United States owns at least one pair of jeans, whether they be blue or black or whatever color. Even the lowest of society have at least a pair; the pair of pants that they are wearing in my own observations has been blue jeans. Where did these versatile durable pants come from and what are they doing now? These questions are the paragon of American fashion and blue jean culture.

The history and origins of blue jeans as we know them today is long and rather clouded with mystery. Some historians say that jeans were invented in 16^th century Europe and were worn by Genovese sailors for their everyday pants. These coarse durable pants were often cotton/wool and or linen blends that were perfect for a life on the sea or land. It is said that the word "jean" derives from this source of use coming from the word Genoa as things were called by the name of the place they were created. But as I said the history of modern blue jeans is shrouded in mystery.

Other historians say that the modern jean is derived from the roots of denim. This story comes from France late 16^th century France where a fabric called "serge de Nîmes" was used to create a silk/wool blend cloth that was popular. Though historians are uncertain whether this is the origin of the contractual word "denim" because the blend of twill has no similarity with the modern fabric. It could also come from the French fabric "nim" which was also a popular fabric during the late 16^th century. Both "denim" and "jeans" were in production in the 16^th century with denim being the more popular fabric being more comfortable and with contrast weaving with the twill comprised of a colored warp and white weft thread.

From these European locals spring American denim which can be said to be the strongest symbol of American fashion society. Originally as was said above jean and denim cloth was comprised of a variety of materials but in the 18^th century because of slave labor and increased cotton plantations the jean and denim cloths became all cotton, the only difference between the two was the color of warp and weft yarns being used. Denim was with the one colored yarn and one white yarn and jeans with the same two color yarns. At this time was the emergence of the popularity of the blue color of the cloths. The colored yarns were dyed with indigo a blue dye found in America and in India.

With the coming of the late 19^th century came one of the biggest names in the blue jean business Leob (Levi) Strauss a Bavarian that immigrated to the United States with his mother and two sisters. They came to New York where Leob got a job with his half brother who owned a wholesale business. Leob moved to San Francisco to open another branch of his brother's wholesale business where he gained a name over the next 20 years as a reputable wholesaler of goods to other local businesses. But his life and the fashion of America was about to change because of a man named Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno Nevada. Davis was using metal rivet to secure the pockets of his jean pants to hold the stressed seams together for the California gold miners. Davis wanted to patent his idea but he did not have the money for it, this is when he contacted Leob, now called Levi to help him pay for his patent and become his partner. The two men got the patent and the "waist overall" was born. This, "waist overall" was the beginning of the modern day jean in the United States. Though "jeans," were not their official name until the 1960's.

By 1920 Levi's "waist overalls" were the most popular work pant in America and in the 1930's with the advent of cowboy movies Jeans became popular novelty pants. People from the east coast would come to dude ranches and bring home a pair of waist overalls. By the 1940's during WWII fewer jeans were being produced but they were being introduced all over the world by the American soldiers who wore sometimes wore jeans when they were off duty. In 1950 the decline of the jeans was over and Levi jeans were being sold all over the world made popular by celebrities like James Dean in the film Rebel without a Cause. During the 1960's and 1970's the waist overalls now officially the jeans were taken into favor by the hippie movement and they were embellished and painted. By the 1980's jeans had finally become "high fashion" and were incredible popular with primarily everyone in the United States. It was also in the 1980's that the term designer jeans was coined and designers like Sergio Valente, Jordache, and Calvin Klein were amongst the first to create slimmer, tight, form fitting jeans.

As all things have a high point so too they must fall, and though jeans never completely went out of style people were trying different fabrics and styles in the 1990's. Khakis, Chinos, and branded sportswear came to be fashionable during this time while the jeans finally saw a decline from favor. But in addition to this with high points having to fall it is also true that fashion is cyclical and what goes down just might very well come back up. This is the case with jeans which into the present decade of the 2000's jeans have done.

In the new millennium the strength of jeans is tremendous and harking back to the beginning all classes of people in the United States have jeans and it is generally the everyday pant of everyone from trendy socialites to dorky basement dwellers jeans are everywhere. What started 500 years ago as a coarse wool/cotton linen blend in Italy made for workers and without any member of the gentry every donning a pair to the great American public with trendy fashions costing as much as APO's $4,000 jeans and give customers a choice of silver, gold or platinum rivets and replace the buttons with diamonds of the customer's choosing, that only the very wealthy can afford. The history of jeans may always be a mystery, for at their base they are common work pants that in my opinion are not comfortable at all, but have created a phenomenon here and abroad that maybe belies reason but maybe connects all of us to the great California Gold Rush, Genovese Sailors from the past, or maybe it inspires us to be just a little bit greater like Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis.

Forbes.com

The World's Most Expensive Jeans

Hitha Prabhakar,

http://www.forbes.com/2006/12/07/expensive-jeans-denim-forbeslife-cx_hp_1208expensivejeans.html

Jeans and accessories.com

History of Blue Jeans

http://www.jeans-and-accessories.com/history-of-blue-jeans.html

Uri.edu

The History of Jeans

http://www.uri.edu/personal/svon6141/history.htm