What Happened to Denim over Time?

Jeans were first manufactured in Genoa, Italy for sailors of the Genoese Navy. The first denim came from Nimes, France, and so de Nîmes ("from Nimes") later became denim, the common name of the fabric. The French used the name bleu de Gênes, ("blue of Genoa") which is the source of the modern terms "jeans" and "blue jeans."

1800's: California gold miners needed clothes that were strong and not easily torn. Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, a wholesale dry goods merchant in San Francisco, got the idea to reinforce trousers with copper rivets at the points where they were otherwise most apt to tear. Patent #139,121 was issued to Strauss and his partner, Nevada tailor Jacob Davis, on May 20, 1873 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and modern blue jeans were born.

1930's: In the popular western movies of the time, the cowboys often wore jeans which led to increasing interest in these rugged trousers.

1940's: During World War 2 American soldiers introduced jeans to the world, wearing them while off duty. After the war, Lee and Wrangler jeans began to present competition to Levi Jeans.

1950's: Denim became a symbol of teenage rebellion in movies and on television. Some schools, restaurants and theaters made a policy of forbidding jeans to be worn on their premises.