Jeans have been an integral part of everyday life for a long time now... and since they occupy such a large place in our lives, in today's blog we will talk about historical moments and periods of iconic jeans.
Despite the range of innovative materials available, denim remains one of the most versatile, durable and sought-after fabrics on the market. It has no age, gender or class - most people have more pairs of jeans in their wardrobe than there are days in the week. Their appeal will always be timeless, while design and fabric technology are constantly evolving. So, you can imagine a different world, but you can't imagine a future without jeans.
Serge de Nimes
Although historians still debate the birthplace of jeans, it is widely believed that it originated in the French city of Nîmes. It was the indigenous weavers who created a unique and durable texture that was unlike anything that existed before.
This fabric is made by weaving threads and crossing them. The weavers used indigo dyes for the blue color, although they did not dye a certain amount of yarn and kept the natural white color. This is how a unique denim color was created. They called this weave "Serge de nimes".
About Indigo
We have to thank indigo for the beautiful color of denim, the latter is one of the oldest dyes used to dye textiles and is responsible for the blue hue.
Made of organic dye with distinctive blue shade; Indigo was originally produced and exported from India. In 1865, the German chemist Adolf von Bayer began work on the synthesis of natural indigo. He received the final result in 1883 and paved the way for synthetic dyes to industrial mass production.
In addition to the traditional blue/blue color of the jeans, dark shades soon gained popularity.
Strauss & Co
German immigrant Levi Strauss moved to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush of 1853 to develop his family's business. Levi sold many products, one of which was a sturdy imported cotton fabric, denim.
His customer was a tailor, Jacob Davis, originally from Reno. He bought Levi's denim fabric for his business because a gold mining company commissioned him to create pants that would withstand heavy work for a long time.
The fabric was so important to Levi that he offered Jacob a collaboration. Through their collaboration, on May 20, 1873, the partners received a unique pair of jeans.
Only after the 19th century did competitors appear in the denim market; namely Wrangler (1905) and Lee (1911).
In the early 20th century, denim was adopted as the preferred workwear fabric for western cowboys, miners, and farmers. The durability of denim has made other fabrics lose popularity.
It is because of this historical background that today, cowboy-inspired accessories look aesthetically pleasing when paired with denim.
1940s - Wartime jeans
A classic symbol of the American West is now a staple in our wardrobes. Modern jeans began to be sold in the 1920s, but the demand for these pants was only among working people in the States.
Since jeans were worn only by people working with physical load, for more comfort, it was desirable to have large pockets.
You will find the reincarnation of the drawstring pockets in the BLACK collection:
And during the Second World War, when blue jeans were declared a "necessary" product, they were sold only to people engaged in military activities.
The production of jeans decreased sharply after the war, due to the shortage of the necessary raw materials. Also, people's imagination and awareness of this fabric changed - it was no longer associated with work uniforms, but with leisure and comfortable clothes.
1950-1960 - The Rise of Jeans and the Hippie Revolution
The icon of cinema, Marilyn Monroe, presented jeans in a completely different way, as strong and moderately sexy. This is how the once working form became associated with sexuality:
James Dean and Marlon Brando redefined the role of jeans. They adapted the latter in such cult films as: "The Wild One" and "Rebel without a Cause". Naturally, everyone wanted to imitate these idols. Culturally, jeans have become a symbol of youth rebellion.
Since the late 1950s, jeans have been associated with rebellion, individuality and self-expression. Jeans have become a uniform for all kinds of social activities, such as meetings, rallies and discotheques.
And women, with the bold style of jeans, began to present themselves as strong and at the same time, sexy, because the waist and hip band of jeans in this period were particularly firm and therefore well emphasized their forms.
You will also find pants with a similar stance in the BLACK collection:
1970s - Jean Americana
In the 70s, the jeans trend spread to Europe. These trousers have become the most relevant for young people in all spheres of life. Demand has increased for flared and bell-bottom trousers:
Also, embellished and patterned jeans became popular, and those who wanted to wear embroidered pants, some dyed and some beaded, became popular. Jeans became the route to individuality:
1980s - jeans everywhere
In the 80s , jeans managed to sneak into other subcultures, such as punk, grunge, and rock. It is at this time that the latter appears with torn and scratched details:
The 1980s proved to be a turning point for denim, as high fashion brands such as Calvin Klein and Armani began using the fabric.
Adriano Goldschmidt, the father of premium jeans, helped popularize a new fit for this fabric in the 80s - the "skinny fit".
1990 - Hip-hop jeans
The 90s ushered in another era of denim culture and style, making baggy jeans trendy. Pop groups such as TLC, the Spice Girls and Destiny's Child helped make the worn style even more popular:
