The jeans - from cowboy outfit to cult object

A simple impulse purchase, to be honest a frustration purchase, which I paid zero attention to and perhaps for this very reason unexpectedly led to an intimate relationship. A simple stonewashed bootleg that clung to my curves as if it had been waiting for me. The symbol of my personal conspiracy against the world (after what felt like the millionth disappointment). She became my most reliable companion, my protective shield and my piece de résistance in the happiest and most tragic, most naïve, most boring and most important moments of my life for years, no, decades. If I could have, I would have worn it to the birth of my daughter. I couldn't wear it to the wedding anyway, because it didn't happen. I loved putting on my time-worn jeans, letting my hips sway in the disco and when other girls were constantly tugging at their skirts, I could sit on the warmed-up asphalt outside the club.

The one favorite pair of jeans, washed out, tattered, worn out... but quite simply the favorite piece of clothing. No other pair of trousers, not the same brand, not even the same model, has ever bonded with me as deeply as this one piece of desire.
You can have my boy, but don't touch my denim. I'm probably not the only one with such a deep connection to a simple piece of fabric.

From workers' trousers to the trend product

It is believed that jeans were invented in Genoa, Italy, around 1500. It was made for the Italian navy to wear while on duty. Although the Italians were the first to produce the fabric, the material itself came from a French city called Nimes. "de Nimes", which means "from Nimes" in German, gave the material its name. The word "jeans" comes from the word "Genes", the French word for the city of Genoa.
Denim has been around for several hundred years, but Levi Strauss was the man who popularized the material in the 1870s.

Towards the end of the 19th century, tailor Jacob Davis came up with the great idea of reinforcing pants with rivets to make them more durable. However, as he did not have the money to apply for a patent, he turned to Levi Strauss, who was tailoring pants for the gold miners in San Francisco. Strauss obtained the fabric for his work clothes from Genoa, where the hard-wearing canvas came from. His initially brown canvas pants were later made from cotton, which he then dyed indigo blue: The "denim blue jeans" were born. The Levi's. The blue cotton pants with reinforced pockets with rivets are the breakthrough: Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss have successfully combined their ideas. On May 20, 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis filed a patent application for denim jeans.
Around 450 million pairs of jeans are sold every year in America alone.

It is rumored that Levi Strauss, the creator, never wore a pair of his own jeans. He was a wealthy businessman and jeans were made for poorer people. He always wore a three-piece suit.

The first jeans were available in two versions, indigo blue and brown "duck" cotton.
At a time when jeans were worn by factory workers, jeans for men had zippers on the front, but jeans for women had zippers on the side.

Incidentally, the orange thread used by Levi Strauss & Co. for the seams of the jeans is protected by trademark law. .

Until the 1930s, jeans were mainly used as workwear for cowboys, lumberjacks, farmers and railroad workers, as they had additional pockets for tools and a tight fit for riding. The fabric was comfortable, more durable and more robust than other fabrics popular at the time.

They found their way to Europe through American soldiers during the Second World War. in 1948, jeans were first produced in Europe by the L. Hermann clothing factory in Künzelsau, which was founded in 1932. It was also the company that brought the first jeans for women onto the market. The clothing factory then became the world-famous Mustang brand.

From the 1950s onwards, jeans were associated with youth, rebellion and individuality. Students went to university in jeans and became part of the hippie movement of the 1960s. Students also wore denim jeans to protests and discos. The wearing of jeans in restaurants, schools and theaters was partially banned in the 1950s as it was seen as a symbol of resistance.
Eventually, surplus army jeans were also sold in army surplus stores in Western Europe and discovered by young people, who chose them as a symbol of protest against tradition and authority.

But it wasn't that long ago that jeans were banned in certain places: In 2001, George W. Bush decided that staff in the Oval Office could no longer wear jeans.

As women began to dress more freely to embody sexual liberation at the time, jeans for women were also cut narrower at the waist and hips, while the hem became wider. Flared jeans became the symbol of an era. Some of you will certainly remember how straight jeans were ripped open and other pieces of fabric, including colored ones, were sewn in to create really wide flared jeans. The images of the '68 generation went around the world.

James Dean, Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe were among the pioneers of trendsetting and paved the way for a new attitude towards denim. Like perhaps only Coca-Cola and Marlboro, Levi's stood for the legend of the romantic and somewhat wild America.

Once a sign of rebellion against the establishment, today it has become universally socially acceptable and is worn in all professions, all classes and all countries. It inspires the hearts of designers, teenagers, filmmakers and writers. No other garment has so many representatives, so many variations, so many fans, even fanatics and fetishists, as the wonderful good old denim.

And the fascination with this piece of blue fabric never seems to end.

Every subculture and every movement, every trend, has its "own" jeans.

We probably all know the Levis 501.

Jeans brands

As for Levi's, they temporarily ceased to be cool around the time of the disco era. Even Levi Strauss saw his products more as a relic and after going public in the 70s, he privatized the company again in 1985. Cheaper, unbranded pants flooded the market, forcing the company to cease production in the USA in 2001. A certain irony, because when Levi Strauss launched the riveted pants in 1873, Chinese migrant workers were the best customers. 150 years later, China turned the tables. In 2003, the entire production of Levi's jeans went to China and other low-cost locations such as Vietnam and El Salvador.
Charles V. Bergh (who had successfully integrated the Gillette shaving brand into the consumer goods group Procter & Gamble) undertook a complete overhaul of the company from 2011. After achieving a turnover of 5.6 billion dollars and a net profit of 285 million in 2018, the company went public again in 2019.

While Levi's was once the only brand to sell jeans, today there is hardly a fashion label that can avoid this item alongside other market leaders such as Wrangler, Diesel, Lee or Mustang and there are jeans brands a dime a dozen. As the fashion world is also changing, there are now also jeans made from organic cotton that are chemical-free and/or produced under Fairtrade conditions. Incidentally, they don't look like home-made jeans at all, but like normal denim trousers. Likewise jeans labels that are characterized by the sustainability of their products.

There is an almost unlimited range of models, including mixed styles and new designs. For example, mom jeans, ankle jeans, flared, tapered, wide-leg denim, baggy, cropped, paperbag, slouchy, to name just a few. Meanwhile, every factory also has its very own shape on offer. The sizes are also different depending on the brand.

But there are also an almost infinite number of styles and names, both for men and women. It is not possible to give an exhaustive list.

The most common terms for jeans models are

Cut:

Skinny fit: The narrowest of jeans, also known as skinny jeans, fit like a second skin ( skin). Thanks to the high elastane content, they are extremely stretchy. They are very figure-hugging, but also look very attractive on women with slightly more curves when worn with a longer top. Depending on the top, the skinny is also suitable for the office.

Slim fit: Still quite tight, but more of a body-hugging fit without being too baggy. Tighter around the bottom and thighs and slightly looser towards the bottom. Emphasizes the hips, but still makes curvy people look slim.

Straight leg cut: As the name suggests, straight cut from top to bottom. Actually a hybrid between skinny and bootleg. This cut has been in fashion for years and seems to be here to stay. It actually always fits. The straight leg is all the rage in 2021.

Bootleg cut / flared: Jeans flared towards the bottom. They are available in different widths, from the slightly flared version to ultra-wide flared trousers. They make your legs look endlessly long and sexy.

Boyfriend jeans: the very loose version of jeans. As with all shapes, some people swear by them, others can't stand them. With their extremely loose fit, they are the exact opposite of skinny jeans. They are extremely figure-friendly, but tall women should avoid them to avoid looking disproportionate. Very casual and relaxed, best combined with a slightly tighter top.

Waist height:

In addition to the jeans styles, there is also a difference in the waist heights. The height between the crotch and waistband.

With the low waist, the waist height is very low. They are therefore worn low on the hips. It is particularly popular with taller women, as it means they are no longer visually stretched out in size. However, if the problem area is around the hips, low waist should be avoided or a slightly longer and wider top should be worn.

The "normal" waist height is the regular/medium rise: i.e. a normal cut, not particularly high but not low on the hips either. It ends just below the belly button and can be combined with almost anything.

The last and highest rise is the high waist: a very high rise that reaches down to the stomach, usually above the belly button. This can conceal a lot and visually elongate the body.

This versatility of denim is an incredible achievement when you consider that the material originally began its life two hundred years ago as a fabric for workwear. Denim has been reinvented over the years and used in many applications.

Despite the recent interest in stretch pants, particularly leggings and yoga pants, and the dirty manufacturing aspects associated with denim production, the topic is not losing its relevance. Today, new forms of 'smart denim' are even offering wearers additional benefits unimaginable until recently, such as smartphone connectivity.