Jeans Theory

Denim Timeline

18th Century
Trade, slave labor, and the increase in cotton plantations called for a sturdy and strong fabric that the workers could wear, hence the birth of the jean cloth.

19th Century
During the California gold rush, miners wanted clothes that did not tear easily so in 1853, Leob Strauss, who later changed his name to Levi, started what is to beccome a denim institution.

1940s
World war II saw a decline in denim production, but was introduced to the world by American soldiers who wore them when off duty. After the war, companies like Wrangler and Lee began producing their own pairs thus competing with Levi's for market share.

1950s
Jeans became the ultimate symbol of teenage rebellion as popularized in movies like Rebel Without a Cause. The image was so negative that it even prompted some schools in the USA to ban students from wearing it.

1960s-70s
Different styles were made to match the 60s fashions: embroidered, painted, and psychedelic.

1980s
Jeans becomes a high fashion staple as designers started making their own styles with matching iconic labels.

1990s
The 90s saw a decline in interest in conventional denim when the latest generation of rebellious youth turned to khakis and combat and carpenter pants. They preffered hard-to-find types of jeans, and marched to thrift shops for unusual cuts, shapes and styles with an aged and vintage finish.

2000
The new millenium brought about reinvention and a rebirth of denim. Jeans returned to the catwalk with a vengeance, as the " single most potent symbol of fashion". It was most apparent in Tom Ford's S/S '99 collection where he showed his own version of feathered, beaded, beat up tornkee Guccis which sold out instantaneously, even when its steep price of U$$3715.

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