What do you know about Jeans?

They are so popular, it’s easy to forget that they were once difficult to buy.

To citizens of Cold War Eastern Europe, jeans were a symbol of western freedom.

Until the 1960s, they weren’t easy to come by, even for westerners.

In his autobiography, the late Irish actor Peter O’Toole recorded his delight at receiving his first pair of jeans from America.

Jeans go back to the California gold rush, when Levi Strauss and Jacob David adapted tent fabric to create sturdy pants for the miners. The classic rivets were added to the pants to make them stronger.

1. Why are they called jeans?

The name comes from the city of Genoa in Italy where cotton corduroy, known as jean or jeane, was manufactured.

2. Why are they blue?

Originally jeans were dyed with natural, expensive indigo. The colour indigo came from the plant of the same name. The distinctive colour of jeans comes from the fact that the warp threads (the vertical threads) were dyed with indigo and the weft threads (the horizontal threads) were left naturally white. Later, natural indigo was replaced with synthetic indigo, because it was cheaper and more tolerant to washing.

3. Why are they called denim?

The name ‘ denim ‘ comes from the French city of Nimes. Manufacturers in Nimes attempted to replicate the famous jean fabric of Genoa, but actually made a tougher fabric. This fabric became known as’ Serge de Nimes.’ ‘De Nimes’ gradually contracted to the word ‘denim’ that we know today. It was this fabric that Levi Strauss and his partner used for their pants.

4. Why are jeans so good?

Originally, jeans were favoured because they were tough. They were very much  work clothes. Gradually, more attention was paid to style and they evolved into the jeans we know today.

Apart from their sturdiness, jeans are attractive because they can be flattering and versatile. Women know that a humble pair of jeans can be one of the best items a woman can wear. The same is true for men.[/vc_column_te壯陽藥
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