A Brief History of Denim

Denim started in the 1600's in a town near Turin Italy called Chiere, it was produced for sailors from Genoa, which is were the word 'jean' is thought to have originated. The word 'denim' is thought to have come from 'serge de Nimes', although it is argued that it actually originated from another fabric called 'nim' as Serge de Nimes was prominently wool and silk.


Two hundred years later, in 1853, Levi Strauss, moves to California selling dry goods and trousers made from the canvas he was selling, he received complaints that the material was uncomfortable, so Levi Strauss switched to denim.

On the 20th May 1873 the blue jean was born as we know it as Levi Strauss and taylor Jacob Davis patented the rivet to strengthen the jeans.


In 1902 Levi Strauss died, four years later all his records were lost in the San Francisco earthquake.


In 1924 the 'Can't Bust 'Em' company use the term 'jeans' to describe these trousers for the first time. Then Hollywood took up the craze, dressing their cowboys in them.

In the 1950's jeans became the symbol of rebellion under the leadership of James Dean and Marlon Brando. They also became a rock'n'roll icon.

They were worn in the '60's by hippies, as flares. In the '70's the ripped jean became a fashion icon. The 80's brought designer jeans into the world as slick tight skinny styles, contrasting to the baggy, low-waisted jeans of the hip-hop '90's.