From the garb of the working class to counterculture symbol and onward to wardrobe staple, nothing says “market penetration” like a pair of blue jeans.
Farmers, cowboys, rock stars, celebrities, presidents and you and I – everyone’s got at least one pair of jeans in their cupboard. They’re comfy, stylish, and go with pretty much anything. How did a singular item of clothing manage to make its way into wardrobes on every continent in the world? If you believe the popular myth peddled by Levis, jeans were invented by their founder, Levi Strauss, during the American gold rush in the late 1800s. While Levi’s isn’t lying about that story, they aren’t giving us 100% of the facts either.
Putting the blue in blue collar
Here are some quick facts about jeans to get us started. First of all, every pair of jeans in the world is made of cotton. Well, mostly cotton – in some cases, elastane or spandex is added to the fabric to create more stretch, but the dominant fibre must be cotton. All denim is created through generally the same process: cotton fibre is spun into yarn. Half of the yarn is dyed, while the other half is left white. These two yarns are then woven together in a tight pattern, which creates the hardiness that denim is known for.
While many people associate the word denim with the colour blue, denim actually refers to the type of weave, not the colour of the end product. In other words – any colour denim is as genuine as the blue kind, as long as the weave is correct.
Research shows that fabric for jeans actually got its start in two 17th century cities – Genoa, Italy, and Nîmes, France. The word “jeans” might even come from the French word for Genoa, “Gênes.” In Nîmes, weavers tried to recreate the hardy “Gênes” fabric but ended up making something slightly different, a durable twill fabric known as denim (short for “de Nîmes,” or “from Nîmes”).
The fabric from Genoa was a fustian material, similar to corduroy, and was affordable, making it perfect for work clothes. In fact, the Genoese navy outfitted all of their sailors in jeans because they could wear them wet or dry (I can’t think of a worse fate than being made to perform manual work while wearing wet jeans). Denim from Nîmes, on the other hand, was tougher and considered higher quality, and was therefore often used for smocks or overalls.
The German and the gold rush
As you can see, denim had been in production for quite some time before Levi Strauss entered the picture. In 1851, the young Mr. Strauss left Germany and headed to New York to join his older brothers, who ran a goods store there. Having quickly picked up the tricks of the trade, he set out for San Francisco 1853 to start his own dry goods business. Ever heard of selling shovels in a gold rush? From the sounds of it, that may be quite literally what Levi Strauss was doing.
Around this time, Jacob Davis, a tailor who regularly bought fabric from Levi’s store, came up with an idea. A common problem that many of Davis’ customers faced was that their pants would tear from hard wear. After being asked to mend many of these pairs of torn pants, Davis noticed that they often tore in the same places. In 1872, Davis wrote to Strauss, suggesting they team up to patent and sell clothing reinforced with rivets. These copper rivets were meant to strengthen areas that took a lot of wear, like pocket corners and the bottom of the button fly. Strauss liked the idea, and in 1873, they secured US patent No. 139,121 for their “Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings.”
Davis and Strauss played around with different fabrics at first, even trying out brown cotton duck, a heavy-duty material (not a waterfowl). But they quickly realised denim was a much better fit for work pants, so they made the switch. In the beginning, Strauss’ jeans were just tough pants for factory workers, miners, farmers, and cattlemen across the North American West. The jeans of this era were 100% a logistic solution for those who did hard manual jobs – accordingly, they were worn baggy and loose, kind of like dungarees without the bib. In fact, Levi Strauss didn’t even call them “jeans” until 1960 – before that, they were known as “waist overalls.”
Blue jeans and big screens
After James Dean rocked jeans in Rebel Without a Cause in the 1950s, they became a symbol of youth rebellion. By the 1960s, wearing jeans was becoming more mainstream, and by the 1970s, they were a staple for casual wear in the US. Distressed denim took off in the punk movement during the ’70s, where early punks ripped up their clothes to show their anger toward capitalism and corporate greed. Safety pins became a statement, encouraging people to resist the fashion trends that fueled big corporations.
Of course, it didn’t take long for those same corporations to catch on and start selling pre-ripped clothes with safety pins already attached, watering down the original punk message. Denim became a key part of this rebellious style, with both men and women wearing torn jeans and jackets, often accessorised with pins, badges and bold slogans. The trend resurfaced in the ’90s with grunge fashion, where loose-fitting ripped jeans, flannel shirts, and layered T-shirts became the go-to look. This anti-conformist style even helped shape the casual chic trend that carried into the 2000s.
A look to die for
In the Soviet Union, jeans were seen as the ultimate symbol of the Western way of life. “Jeans fever” officially kicked off in 1957 during the World Festival of Youth and Students. While jeans weren’t officially banned, they were hard to find because the Soviet government saw them as a symbol of rebellion. Soviet youth wanted to copy the style of Western film and rock stars, but the government resisted producing or supplying jeans, since that would mean giving in to capitalist market demands.
People went to extreme lengths to get their hands on real Western-made jeans, sometimes even resorting to violence and illegal activities. This led to the rise of black markets and the bootlegging of jeans, which became a significant part of Soviet cultural history. The US jeans brand Rokotov and Fainberg is actually named after two Soviet men, Yan Rokotov and Vladislav Faibishenko, who were executed for, among other things, trafficking in jeans.
A runway/runaway success
Today, jeans are far more than the rugged workwear Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis envisioned – they’re a global cultural staple. From casual Fridays at the office to high fashion runways, jeans have found their way into every corner of society, defying the boundaries of class, geography, and fashion trends. They have transcended their practical beginnings to become a symbol of effortless cool, rebellion, and self-expression.
However, this long-standing reign may be facing a new challenge. As the athleisure trend continues to gain momentum, more people are turning to sportswear and activewear for everyday outfits. The rise of stretchy, breathable fabrics and the appeal of comfort-driven style means that jeans are no longer the default choice for many. With yoga pants, leggings, and joggers increasingly taking centre stage, jeans may no longer enjoy the monopoly they once did in our wardrobes.
Even so, denim’s remarkable market penetration remains a testament to its staying power. While trends may shift and new contenders emerge, jeans have proven they can adapt and evolve. Whether they will continue to dominate or share space with the rising athleisure movement remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: jeans have cemented their place in fashion history, and they’re not disappearing anytime soon.
About the author: Dominique Olivier
Dominique Olivier is the founder of human.writer, where she uses her love of storytelling and ideation to help brands solve problems.
She is a weekly columnist in Ghost Mail and collaborates with The Finance Ghost on Ghost Mail Weekender, a Sunday publication designed to help you be more interesting.
Dominique can be reached on LinkedIn here.
