What is Denim?

Warp faced Twill Textile in which colored ends are interlaced with white picks. This
makes the facing of the fabric appear colored and the back appears as white.
Traditionally its dyed with indigo dye to make blue jeans, although "jean" formerly
denoted a different, lighter, cotton fabric.

Origin:
Denim comes from French word serge de Nimes, referring to the city of Nimes. The
contemporary use of the word "jean" comes from the French word for
Genoa, Italy (Genes), where the first denim trousers were made. Denim has been used
in the USA since the late 18th century. Initially workers wore it because the material
was very strong and it did not wear out easily.

Evolution:
In 1848, gold was discovered in California and the famous Gold Rush began. The gold
miners wanted clothes that were strong and did not tear easily. In 1853, a man called
Leob Strauss left his home in New York and moved to San Francisco, where he started
a wholesale business, supplying clothes. Strauss later changed his name from Leob to
Levi.
A big problem with the miners' clothes were the pockets, which easily tore away from
the jeans. A man called Jacob Davis had the idea of using metal rivets (fasteners) to
hold the pockets and the jeans together so that they wouldn't tear. Davis wanted to
patent his idea, but he didn't have enough money, so in 1872, he wrote to Levi Strauss
and offered Strauss a deal if Strauss would pay for the patent. Strauss accepted,
and he started making copper-riveted 'waist.

How denim became popular

The 1930's: Westerns
In the 1930's, Hollywood made lots of western movies. Cowboys - who often wore
jeans in the movies-became very popular. Many Americans who lived in the eastern
states went for vacations on 'dude ranches' and took pairs of denim 'waist overalls'
back east with them when they went home.

The 1940's: War

Fewer jeans were made during the time of World War 2, but 'waist overalls' were
introduced to the world by American soldiers, who sometimes wore them when they
were off duty. After the war, Levi began to sell their clothes outside the American
West. Rival companies, like Wrangler and Lee, began to compete with Levi for a share
of this new market.

The 1950's: Rebels

In the 1950's, denim became popular with young people. It was the symbol of the
teenage rebel in TV programs and movies (like James Dean in the 1955 movie Rebel
without a Cause). Some schools in the USA banned students from wearing denim.
Teenagers called the waist overalls 'jean pants' - and the name stayed.

The 1960's: Hippies & the Cold War

In the 1960's many, many university and college students wore jeans. Different styles
of jeans were made, to match the 60's fashions: embroidered jeans, painted jeans,
psychedelic jeans...
In many non-western countries, jeans became a symbol of 'Western decadence' and
were very hard to get. US companies said that they often received letters from people
all around the world asking them to send the writer a pair of jeans

The 1970's: Sweatshops

As regulations on world trade became more relaxed in the late 1970's, jeans started to
be made more and more in sweatshops in countries in the South. Because the workers
were paid very little, jeans became cheaper. More people in the countries of the South
started wearing jeans.

The 1980's: Designer Jeans

In the 1980's jeans finally became high fashion clothing, when famous designers
started making their own styles of jeans, with their own labels on them. Sales of jeans
went up and up.

The 1990's: Recession

In the worldwide recession of the 1990's, the sale of jeans has stopped growing.

21st Century: The Reinvention:

In the 21st century there has been a major breakthrough in the denim industry with the
introduction in versatility of the manufacturing equipment processes. The worn out
look of denim goods particularly appealed the consumers to use them. Several brands
marketed their goods in their respective themes and till yet denims are an essential
component of every wardrobe.