When is the birthday of jeans and thanks to whom they appeared

Today we will talk about such a topic as the birthday of jeans, the history of the creation of this unique element of the modern wardrobe, popular not only among young people. They are sewn not only from pure denim, but also with special additives that allow jeans to fit tightly to the body, for example with lycra or viscose.

Story

The history of denim jeans is quite interesting. This dense material appeared in the European cities of Nimes and Genoa. The creator of jeans was Leib Strauss. Leib and his family were forced to move to America because of the anti-Semitic attitude of the population of Europe. At that time, the gold rush was gaining momentum. Strong competition in the mines of America forced Levi, as he called himself, to look for another occupation to feed his family.

The fabrics and all the goods he had brought with him to San Francisco were quickly sold out. Only a roll of hemp canvas remained. This material was not in demand, as sailboats had given way to steamships. It was difficult to sell. Then Levi sewed pants from the canvas. They turned out to be durable and comfortable. A builder bought the pants. Having assessed the durability of the new pants, others wanted to buy them. This is where the history of jeans begins.

1853 was the year Levi opened his first store, "Levi Strauss & Co." The store belonged to Levi and his cousin. It quickly grew into a fairly large company. The brothers patented their inventions. Canvas was replaced with blue denim, which was brought from Genoa. But this replacement led to an increase in the cost of trousers. Because of the indigo dye used to dye the fabrics. They had to look for cheaper dyes. And at the suggestion of tailor Jacob Davis, the torn seams were fastened with metal rivets. Gradually, the trousers began to look like modern jeans.

When and how to celebrate

Not everyone knows what date is considered the birthday of jeans. The company "Levi Strauss & Co" was patented on May 20, 1873. Therefore, May 20 is considered the official birthday of jeans.

The day the popular clothing was born is not widely celebrated, but some events are held:

• Couturiers and clothing companies prepare new collections for the birthday of jeans and present them on fashion catwalks. (And not only from jeans do they make new clothing models for this date. But denim fabrics are the main participant in fashion shows);
• Bright postcards featuring denim fashion are produced;
• The event is covered on radio and television.

But there is no special festive noise even in America. In Russia, this holiday is also celebrated, but more modestly than in the USA and Europe. There are no widely known international manufacturers of denim clothing here. The media annually dedicate articles to this date, print pictures and photographs from fashionable denim shows in Europe and the USA, and tell about the "denim" history.

There is another date dedicated to such a popular wardrobe attribute among people: International Jeans Day. The holiday is not much different from the birth date of jeans.

Interesting facts

Hundreds of interesting facts have been collected about jeans over the years of their existence. Here are just a few of them:

1. The fabric used for jeans appeared in 1500. The Genoese made sails and clothes for sailors from it. But the fabric was invented in France;
2. The name denim comes from the words "De Nimes". This was the name of the material because it was from the city of Nimes in France;
3. Levi Strauss, who created the famous Levi's brand, did not wear his own jeans. Strauss believed that he was sewing work clothes for the poor, but he was rich;
4. The former element of the prospectors' wardrobe began to be called jeans in the 50s of the last century. Previously, they were called work overalls. Since then, jeans have been celebrating their birthday;
5. The 60s of the last century were marked by the fact that entry into most institutions in jeans was prohibited. This item of clothing was then perceived as a symbol of protest, an attribute of youth rebellious moods. They were worn by hippies, punks and other representatives of youth movements of that period;
6. In the Soviet Union, jeans at the International Youth Festival. It was 1958. The foreign novelty appealed to Soviet youth. A couple of years later, a new type of trader appeared in the country – the “fartsovshchik”. Selling contraband goods was punishable. In 1960, two speculators-fartsovshchiks were sentenced to death. They were punished for currency fraud, but selling contraband jeans was one of the charges.

Jeans have come a long way from simple work clothes to the most popular item of clothing in the modern man's wardrobe.

Women's jeans began to be sewn at the end of the last century. For this, special fabrics were used, in which denim was combined with special additives that allowed sewing tight-fitting models.

Jeans have long won the love of people all over the planet due to their convenience and practicality. Currently, the production of these trousers amounts to more than 2,500,000,000 pieces. Fashion designers come up with more and more new ideas for decorating denim trousers, and these long-livers in the fashion world are in almost every closet. Therefore, it is simply impossible to ignore the day when this wardrobe item first appeared.

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