Men have worn long pants or trousers for hundreds of years, and over time, women have adapted to this garment too.
Jeans are long pants or trousers that are made from denim cloth. The term often refers to a specific style of trousers known as blue jeans, conceived by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in 1873. These blue trousers were originally tailored for cowboys and during the 1950s were extremely popular among the teens, especially those who belong to the greaser subculture.
Popular brands of jeans include Levi's, Wrangler and Lee, and they come in different fits like straight, skinny, boot cut, flare and tapered. These trousers have ultimately become a hugely popular article for casual dressing all over the world. The American Old West has something to do with the popularity.
History
The history of jeans was traced back to Genoa, Italy, the place famous for manufacturing cotton corduroy. During that time, such trouser styles were exported throughout Europe by Genoan sailors. The Nimes weavers from France had tried to reproduce the fabric that the Genoans manufactured, but they were not successful. They came up with another kind of fabric that became popularly known as denim, which is the modern day material used for blue jeans. It was towards the end of the 18th century that these trousers were introduced to the American culture.
Evolution
From the time the manufacturers of Genoa invented the trousers and the French accidentally invented the denim, to the time Levis Strauss and Jacob Davis started working together to develop and establish the Levis Strauss brand, jeans have certainly come a very long way.
Before, they were used for casual clothing; blue trousers were worn by farmers and factory workers. At that time men’s trousers had zippers down the front, which is what denim pants have always been known for. Women’s denim pants, on the other hand, had the zipper on the right side. By the 60s though, men’s and women’s denim pants had the zipper at the front.
Thanks to James Dean, the wearing of denim jeans became a trend among teens as a sign of rebellion. Because of that, people wearing denims were banned from entering schools, restaurants and theatres. By the time the rebellion period was over, denim pants were more accepted and by the 70s, American fashion was ruled by denim pants.
The evolution of denim pants, or the famous blue trousers, continued and is still ongoing. There have been manufacturers that have come up with their own versions, styles, cut and design. There have also been retail stores that hire artists to put artistic embellishments on their signature denims.
The 80s and the 90s brought denim pants into everybody’s wardrobe and nowadays men, women and kids are all wearing them. They wear them at home, in school, at work, for parties and even when attending mass.
The fact that most people in the world have worn denim pants is proof enough that they are here to stay. The world would not have been the same if jeans had never been invented, developed and manufactured.