The History of Jeans: From Denim to Today's Blue Jeans

Today, there is an article of clothing that about every person alive has had on their body at least one or more times in their life. Over the years they have been acid washed, stone washed, pre-washed and unwashed. They have been waist overalls and dungarees to denim pants and blue jeans. That's right it's blue jeans!

There is no denying that the humble blue jean has become synonymous with western culture and casual comfort. It's beginning, however, are European. The term "denim" first appeared in France prior to the 17th century and was a derivative of either serge de Nimes (which means serge from Nimes - a type of woven fabric) or simply "nim," a type of twill cloth also from Nimes. Both fabrics were a silk and wool mix and predominantly used for work clothing.

Sailors from Genoa, around the same time, wore uniforms made from cotton/linen/wool mix called fustian and happened to be blue. The fabric became to be known as "jean" from the Genoes sailors who wore it.

A comparable woven material also called denim was popular in England around this period. It is unclear if this fabric was actually denim imported from France, or simply called denim.

It is important to note that although both denim and jean were relatively coarse fabrics woven from a wool blend, denim consisted of one dark colored thread and one white thread. Jean, on the other hand was woven from two threads of the same color.

By the 18th century, denim and jean had arrived on the shores of the New World. Where the long lasting cloth was perfect for the harsh conditions workers and settlers faced on a daily basis.

It wasn't long when slave labor and then cotton crop prompted Americans to start manufacturing their own domestically produced denim and jean fabric. More importantly the mills started manufacturing denim and jean that was made from 100 percent cotton, colored blue using indigo dye and is quite similar to the durable denim material still popular today.

The first printed reference to denim appeared in a Rhode Island newspaper in 1789 and in 1864 the Merriam-Webster dictionary officially added denim to its collection of definitions, describing it "as a coarse cotton drilling used for overalls, etc." In fact thanks to its strength and comfort, denim overalls and work pants were increasingly popular with America's working class. Jean on the other hand, was lighter, less rugged material and used mainly for more fashionable items like trousers, top coats or vests and was worn mainly by those less inclined to perform manual labor for a living.

But both fabrics had similar qualities and one cloth was often mistaken for the other. As a result, the terms denim and jean became virtually interchangeable.

By 1873 two men by the name of Levis and Davis became partners and the "waist overalls" began their long road to today's denim jeans. By the 1920's, Levi's" as they were known, are the number one selling work pants in Western America.

The "overall" of the early 1900's was decidedly more durable than the jeans we wear nowadays. They came with suspender buttons instead of belt loops (belt loops weren't added until 1922), a waist cinching buckle at the back and were incredibly stiff and coarse.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Hollywood thrusted the garment into the spotlight of its silver screen and people started to wear, and appreciate overalls more for their value.

During WWII, American soldiers often wore their fancy new overalls while on leave in Europe. It wasn't long before these denim trousers became instantly recognizable symbols of American culture.

In the 1950s, Wrangler and Lee emerged to give Levi Strauss & Co. a fun for their money. This was also the time that the overall shed its old fashion moniker and became known as "jean pants" or "jeans" by the legions of teens wearing them. Thanks to movie stars such as James Dean and Marlon Brando, jeans became a symbol of rebellion and teenage defiance.

The hippie culture of the '60s embraced all things denim and made the blue jean standard issue for anti-war protests and rock music festivals across America. In 1969 the bellbottoms were introduced and this was the first indication of denim's steady rise into the fashion mainstream.

In 134 years since Strauss and Davis made their first pair of "waist overalls," blue jeans have become universal both in North America and throughout much of the world. There have been hip-hugger, boot-cut, bell-bottoms and straight-leg jeans of every color, wash and style imaginable. We've beaded them, embroidered them, painted and bleached them, ripped them and dyed them; and the more fashion conscious among us are even willing to pay thousands of dollars for just the right pair. Heck, were even allowed to wear them to work!