Style History - Jeans
The History of Denim Pants
Denim pants – or as many of us refer to them as “jeans” – are a popular and beloved product that has spanned across seasons, countries, and decades. Jeans, as we know them today, come in a variety of colors, patterns, and styles. But it wasn’t always that way. Denim pants have a long history that most of us are unfamiliar with. And perhaps unsurprisingly, the story begins with a familiar household name, Levi Strauss.
In the mid-1800s, Levi Strauss moved from New York to San Francisco to open a family dry goods business, Levi Strauss & Co., out west. Jacob Davis was a tailor who frequently purchased cloth from Levi’s business. Davis asked Strauss to partner with him to patent and sell clothing that was reinforced with rivets. These rivets were used to reinforce points of stress in clothing such as pocket corners and the bottom of the button fly. Strauss ultimately accepted Davis’ offer in 1873.
Today, most jeans are made of denim or dungaree cloth, and the term originally referred to a certain style of trousers invented by Jacob Davis and patented by him and Levi Strauss in the late 1800s. While blue jeans or denim pants had been around for some time, it wasn’t until these two patented the term that “jeans” slowly began to grow in popularity.
Prior to Davis and Strauss’ patent, denim pants were designed for the working man, particularly miners, farmers, and factory workers, whose clothes had to be durable for the difficult and often dangerous work conditions the men were under. History tells us that denim trousers and smocks were typically worn by lower-class citizens and were dyed with indigo which came from India until the late 19th century. Jean fabric originated in the cities of Genoa, Italy, and Nimes, France, and it was similar to corduroy which made it ideal for work given its durability.
While Davis and Strauss experimented with different fabrics, they ultimately ended up with denim, finding it an ideal cloth for working pants, continuing the longstanding tradition that denim pants had among the working class. Even though denim had been used in Europe, the denim that Levi and Davis utilized was produced by an American manufacturer. These patented pants contained two pockets in the front and one in the back right with rivets, and eventually, a watch pocket was added. In the early 1900s, Strauss added the back-left pocket to the 501 model, which exists to this day.
Jeans, for both men and women, slowly became more accepted in the 1900s, however, it wasn’t until the mid-century that jeans became a fashion staple. As early as 1935, Vogue showed jean distressing in its June issue to make them more fashionable. And, while “waist overalls” – a term used by Strauss referring to his denim product – production slowed during World War II, jeans made a comeback in the 1950s after James Dean wore them in the movie Rebel Without a Cause. With this, jeans quickly became a symbol of youthful rebellion. Twenty years later, by the 1970s, jeans were widespread fashionable casual wear in the United States.
From working garment, to rebellious symbol, to fashionable casual wear, denim pants have been around for quite some time. Today, thanks to Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, we know them as jeans. Not only are Levi’s a go-to jean for many, it is a worldwide brand. Over the years, jeans have gone through style changes: from low-rise to high-rise, from distressed to cut, from bell-bottom to skinny, from light and dark wash to black and white. Despite the changes over time, they remain one of the most popular products in American closets.
Stylishly yours,
Leah Nalepa and Anthony Bolognese
