Welcome
back my fellow learners, today we are going to learn all about a
material that stretches back to the cowboy and Indian era.
Did you
know every time you wear your jeans, you are actually wearing a piece
of history?
While
there is some controversy on which came first, the denim or jeans, as
technically they aren’t the same, they are linked with a European
background dating back to the 1700’s. In France and England, denim
was getting more popular as a fabric, due to the fact is was
comfortable and very durable, whilst in Italy jeans was getting
manufactured into topcoats and trousers for working men.
Levis
Strauss in 1872, who at the time was a dry goods salesman, was
approached by tailor called Jacob Davis, he was one of the first to
use rivets to improve the strength of pants. Davis did not have
enough money to patent his rivet idea, and so spoke to Levi to
provide the money to pay for the patent application. Levi, being a
savvy businessman, decided to became partners with Davis, and so in
1873 they received a patent for an improvement in fastening pocket
openings.
At once
the coal miners based in California took these as their unofficial
uniform, due to the fact they withstood the stress and rigours of
life in the mines.
Even
though overalls were made with jeans, Levi and Davis decided to make
their pants out of denim for extra comfort and durability. By the
time 1920 rolled around, Levi' waist overalls were the number one
product in working men's pants in the states, and despite the fact
they were now made with denim, they were still known as jean pants.
By the
1930s, real cowboys had also adopted this nearly indestructible pant.
The rise in Western movies introduced the public to jeans, and soon
everyone wanted to imitate their on screen idols and buy a pair.
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