The Origins of Jeans

1027 Words3 Pages

The second skin

Regular straight, boot cut & relaxed, or the 501® Original Fits? In all probability, no piece of garment has ever seen such days of glory as the blue jeans. Let us look back at the history of this symbol of the Western freedom, the minds behind its birth and spread, and the role it plays in the contemporary world.
Even though considered an all-American invention, the origins of jeans can be traced back to the 17th century, when the weavers in the French city of Nimes tried to reproduce jean fabric from the Italian city of Genoa. The failed experiments resulted in the invention of a similar, darker kind of cotton twill textile - denim. Clothes made out of what appears to be the jean fabric were even depicted on a number of 17th century paintings discovered in 2010. Nick Squires, the author of an article about the true origins of jeans states that the people featured in the forgotten works of art were wearing torn skirts and jackets made of a dark blue cloth. Where the indigo fabric was torn, white threads could be seen, pointing to the use of the weaving technique employed in the making of denim. Since the paintings are supposed to have originated somewhere near Venice, art historians believe that the birthplace of jeans is Italy rather than France (Squires).
It was only in the late eighteenth century that jeans arrived to the United States. Leob Strauss born in the 1829 Germany was a son of a Jewish dry good peddler Hirsch Strauss. The funds in the family after Hirsch’s death were simply not sufficient, which resulted in the children’s leaving for America. Leob, his mother, and sister followed the lead of the older Strauss sons and joined them in the New York City. The then 18-year old Leob changed his name into...

... middle of paper ...

...ny slogans encompass their mission statement rather perfectly. Levis. Original jeans. Original people. Quality Never Goes Out of Style! (levi.com)

Works Cited
Blue Jeans: Technology in American Culture. n.d. 8 April 2014 .
Charles W. Carey, Jr. American Inventors, Entrepreneurs, and Business Visionaries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2002.
Downey, Lynn. Levi Strauss and Co. Arcadia Publishing, 2007. http://forbes.com. December 2013. 10 4 2014 . levi.com. http://levi.com. n.d. 10 4 2014 .
Squires, Nick. Denim jeans originated in Italy, not France, art historian claims. Rome, 2010.
Unbelievable Facts. 8 June 2013. 8 April 2014 .

Show More
Related

  • Low Rise Jeans Research

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you asked yourselves why so many people go crazy over low rise jeans? Especially to women who do not want to have any waistband cutting along the abdomen area.

    Read More

  • Home Crafts In Colonial America

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fabric that came from Europe costed as much as the equivalent to the garment itself. It became less expensive to make your own fabric than to buy it. “Producing one’s own clothes . . . meant weavin...

    Read More

  • 1950’s Youth Culture

    1773 Words  | 4 Pages

    Talking to various members of my family I asked them if they could remember the way that the youth dressed in the nineteen- fifties. The responses were all similar. The popular man role wore tight white T- shirts which were described to me (I hate this expression)as ‘Guinea T’s.’ These are white T- shirts in which the manufacturer cut- off the sleeves. Also regular white T- shirts were worn with one sleeve rolled up with a pack of cigarettes. When I talked to a man in my neighborhood, John Braggs, he explained to me that the modern style of wearing your pants low on your hips actually began in the fifties. He said that they wore tight jeans that were pulled down low at the waist with of course a tight white T- shirt tucked in. "I don’t know where y’all started wearen’ ‘em so baggy from, but I don’t like it," he shouted in his southern accent. The females were not as revealing as the modern women are. Longer dresses and dressier shirts were their style. The ‘Beatnik’! generation was forming out of Grenitch village in Manhattan which the style was more of a depressing look. They wore mostly black or darker colors. I watched a movie called ‘The Wanderers’ to try to take a look at how they dressed and the portrayal was what I just described.

    Read More

  • Sociological Aspects Of French Fashion: Fashion Then And Now

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    Generally, when people think of ‘fashion’, they instantly think about the “glitz and glamour” however, they never give much thought into the sociological aspect behind it. Humans by nature, do not gravitate towards ‘trendy’ clothes, one does it out of influence, better yet, out of sociocultural needs, which brings me to my next point. French fashion now and for past centuries has been out of influence and a reflection of cultural events.

    Read More

  • Fashion in the 60s

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early 60's, the teenagers world was suddenly hit by the rock- n- roll of phenomenon of the Beatles. Teens idoled rock stars and let their hair grow long and wore bright, wild colored clothes. Leather offered great opportunities for self - expression. The clothes were i...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jeans: A Garment That Has Endured In Fashion

    2263 Words  | 5 Pages

    After the breakthrough of jeans as a trend and as a piece of work clothing, it became a symbol of the Western culture. To the world, jeans were “like a magnificent flag that says ‘USA’ to the world at large” (Sullivan 215). Although jeans were always an “American” product, they soon began to appeal to people all across the globe. Anthropologist Danny Miller, who wrote the book Blue Jeans, explains that “in every country he has visited - from the Philippines to Turkey, India and Brazil - he has stopped and counted the first 100 people to walk by, and in each he found that almost half the population wore jeans on any given day” (Hegarty). The appeal of jeans to people around the globe was due to its cultural meaning as well as the durability that they

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Jews On The Fashion Industry

    2104 Words  | 5 Pages

    The American clothing industry is a multi-billion dollar business, this is due to the fact that everyone needs clothes. Not only do people want to wear plain clothes, they want to wear the top of line fashionable clothing. But the fashion industry didn’t explode until after World War II, with the coming of many Jews to America due to the disarray of Europe. Many of the Jews such as Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, and Diane Von Furstenberg came and revolutionized the fashion industry, and turned it on its head.

    Read More

  • Point Sur Denim: The Decline Of Fashion

    253 Words  | 1 Pages

    For the past several years denim as casual wear had been on the decline. For many, including the men and women of groups like the Baby Boomers, the Millenials, and soon to become the Founders, yoga pants, workout or jogging pants became the choice and popular bottoms to wear. Lately, the dead and gone trend seems to be making a comeback and with a vengeance. Remember fashion trends go out of style only to return with a new name, in this case, it's called ’retro’. The premium brands like The GAP, Mcguire, R13, and Point Sur Denim are mass marketing the same straight–leg, skinny, and boyfriend denim with slight differences and are considered “fashion followers and not trendsetters” (Hameide, K. K.) for those who are less interested in creativity.

    Read More

  • Major Threats And Challenges In The Fashion Industry

    1350 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within the fashion industry, there are major challenges that all companies face. In particular, for the bigger brands, there is always a chance for smaller, lesser known brands to take over at any time. This is why it is important to realize that although a company may be thriving, they have to continue to evolve creativity and consistently in order to maximize sales and stay competitive with their competition. A few companies that experience these threats and challenges on a daily bases include, The Hudson’s Bay (fashion department), Aritzia and H&M that many identify with as their ‘go-to’ stores. These are a just a few examples of the many companies that need to uphold their standard within the fashion industry. They need to do this to ensure

    Read More

  • Jeans: A Reflection of American Values

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis did not know they were creating an American legacy when they patented the process for riveting pants on May 20, 1873, nor did they get to see the enduring influence of their product before their deaths in the early 1900’s ("Levi Strauss & Co. Timeline"). Nevertheless, since their creation, denim jeans have become symbolic of various American sentiments over the years: the romanticizing of the American West, the social rebellion of countercultures, and a paradoxical preoccupation with individuality.

    Read More

  • Levis Research Paper

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    It soon became clear that miners mostly need sturdy pants that could withstand the harsh life of a miner. Making sure his customers got what they needed, Levi hired a seamstress to create pants with hefty denim fabric. After a while Levis family joined him in San Francisco. Louis Strauss traveled back and forth from New York to San Francisco even though by 1856 he joined Levi in the business. Later Levi's mother, Levis sister, Fanny, her husband, David Stern, and their child Jacob, moved from New York to San Francisco to join Louis and Levi. Then Levis became big. Strauss’s big break came in 1872, when he was approached by Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor who had developed a new process for securing the seams of denim pants. The new pants became an instant

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Women’s Clothing

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    “For as long as men and women have been wearing clothing, there has been a hierarchy based on garments. The clearest example arose when the sexes were segregated into skirts and pants: women would only wear dresses (a symbol of submission) and men would only wear trousers (proof of domination). Women’s clothing was created to impede and hamper movement (through tight or many layered skirts), while men enjoyed the ease and comfort of pant legs.” (Meza, Echazarreta) Women’s fashion throughout the ages can be used to trace the history of equality between men and women. As women achieved greater independence, they claimed the right to choose what they wore, and that included women being able to wear pants. There are three things that were instrumental in making it socially acceptable for women to wear pants, they include: the invention of the bicycle, WWII, and influential women.

    Read More

  • Fashion History

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    Introduction Historically, multiple styles of dressing have been created during the last several decades, which played an important role in modern fashion in the UK. Everyone has a different and unique dressing style in their everyday life. Some styles are influenced by vintage styles which are attributing to the deep effects of old vogue, and another group of dressing styles are inclined into the fresh element. Despite those different styles, some of them have even evolved into the milestones in fashion history. To start this essay, it will introduce the evaluation of the first significant revolution of dressing style in the 1960s.

    Read More

  • Role Of Clothing In American Culture

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dress and daily life are two aspects of society which greatly differ among cultures and civilizations. Initially, clothing oneself was an act of protecting one’s body from the harsh elements in varying climates. However, overtime clothing transformed into being one of the most important factors of daily life in society. Dressing is said to reflect one’s personality, tastes, culture, status, or even position. To the Assyrians, it was a statement of who you were and what you believed. Looking at society today, not much has changed since. Assyrian dress varied depending on functionality or occasion. Differences were easily identifiable between men and woman, royals and slaves, nobility and peasants. It is evident that Assyria maintained their own clothing styles, standards of living, as well as daily activities.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Shapewears

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Clean, streamlined jeans are the way to go. Flattering dark and embellished pockets jeans are setting new trends in the fashion world. This fashion trend is here to stay for long. The leanest silhouettes of all: bootcut and straight leg.

    Read More

More about The Origins of Jeans

Open Document