Lauren (Yoojin) Lee
Professor Colsant
Int Sem 2: Fashion
4 May 2018
The Story of Blue Trousers: Jeans
The hard and sturdy informal trousers that are specifically made out of denim or dungaree are called jeans. Jeans is short for “blue jeans”, which was created by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in 1873. They were the traditional garment for men’s workwear during the Gold Rush. Levis Strauss was born in Bavaria, Germany and came to New York, USA in 1851 to join his older brother’s wholesale dry goods business. Due to the Gold Rush in 1853, he moved to San Francisco at the age of 24 to expand the family’s business. The business was successful by selling fabrics and cloths, and one of Levi’s customers was Jacob W. Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada.
Jacob W. Davis not only tailored but created functional items, such as wagon covers and horse blankets. One day, the wife of the local miner requested Davis to create a pair of pants for his husband that was sturdy and could withstand physically rigorous work. Davis came up with a design to include metal or copper rivets where the strain occurs the most, in order to prevent the rip or damage. However, Davis needed a business partner in order for the patent to process and reached out to Levis Strauss, from who he purchased the cloth to create the riveted pants. Levi agreed Davi’s proposal, and they received patent #139,121 from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 20, 1873. Officially, the pants were created and successfully sold, which are called jeans today.
Jeans became one of the “must have” items during the Gold Rush, but also, it became cowboy’s and polo player’s favorite garment. Due to the friction between their pants and the saddle, their pants get easily worn out. Even though jeans were well-known apparel during the late 18000s, blue jeans did not become popularized to the public, until James Dean, an American actor, wore a t-shirt, a leather jacket, and blue jeans in the movie Rebel Without a Cause in 1955. Since people did not have full access to the Internet or television during the 1950s, movies were the most influential element in their lives. Also, color film was introduced a couple years before; the deep blue dyed jeans were eye-catching to the audience.
The sturdy, durable, trending, and ever-lasting jeans became one of people’s favorites apparel in our history. As jeans became widespread, people started to change styles and colors from the original blue jeans. Most people wear jeans due to comfort and durability; however, designers and manufactures are losing the traditional aspect of jeans and creating them to be more modernized which looses its actual quality and meaning.
Citation
“History of Jeans and Denim.” History of Jeans. Accessed March 28, 2018. http://
“Our Story: The History of Denim.” Levi Strauss & Co. Accessed March 27, 2018. http://
www.levistrauss.com/our-story/the-history-of-denim/
Stromberg, Joseph. “The Origin of Blue Jeans.” Smithsonian.com. Accessed March 27 ,
2018. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-origin-of-
blue-jeans-89612175/
Wright, Jennifer. “The Complete History of Blue Jeans, From Miners to Marilyn
Monroe.” Racked. Accessed March 28, 2018. https://www.racked.com/
2015/2/27/8116465/the-complete-history-of-blue-jeans-from-miners-to-
marilyn-monroe
