A sailmaker, Oscar Levi-Strauss, in San Francisco in 1850 invented jeans. The word ‘jeans’ may come from ‘jene fustien’, a strong twill cotton cloth, first made in Genoa. The original jeans were brown until blue denim was used.
With their patent secure, Levi Strauss & Co. was the only company to make riveted clothing for nearly 20 years. When their patent expired, however, dozens of other manufacturers began to copy their clothing. By that time, the public routinely referred to blue jeans as “Levi’s,” a name the company eventually trademarked.
Although they were originally designed as work pants, blue jeans became a significant part of popular culture in the 1950s after James Dean wore them in the movie Rebel Without a Cause. Their popularity continued to grow, and today they’re routinely worn as casual dress in the United States and many countries around the world.
The visionary immigrants who transformed denim and small pieces of metal into the most popular clothing product in the world probably never imagined how famous they would become. Indeed, no other clothing product has been identified more with American culture, especially the American West.
Credit : Wonderopolis
Picture Credit : Google
