Jeans
| Designer | Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis |
| Dates | 20th May 1873 |
Description
Jeans are traditionally manufactured using denim, a resilient cotton twill coloured blue with indigo dye. Historically, the fabric was made in Chieri, Italy and sold to sailors at Genoa harbour for their hard-wearing properties. source
The 1850's Californian Gold Rush induced many entrepreneurs to the area in search of fortune. Among them was Levi Strauss a German immigrant selling 'waist overalls' to the mining communities in San Francisco. However the labourers' pockets would often rip, causing Jacob Davis, a tailor customer of Strauss', to hit upon the idea of strengthening the pockets on the jeans with copper rivets. Concerned that his design modification would be copied, Davis approached Strauss about jointly applying for a patent, for he did not possess the required funds. This would allow them to be the sole company manufacturing riveted clothing for the next 20 years. Together they manufactured what became known as blue jeans. Strauss had experimented with other materials, notably cotton duck fabric. This was dropped from production in favour of the greater comfort provided by denim.
Once the patent had expired, Levi Strauss had the now synonymous red tab fixed to the rear pocket as a means of identifying the Levi brand from a distance. This became a registered trademark. Other innovations included stone-washing the garments to give newly manufactured material a 'worn' look. This was achieved using pea gravel or more recently chemicals. The material make-up has also been modified over time, with the addition of lycra for greater comfort and fit. source
A Personal View
The fact that most people possess at least one pair of jeans in their wardrobe shows their huge popularity across many countries and demographics. I believe the success of jeans lies in their multidisciplinary usage. People can wear them around the house, to go shopping or to parties. In turn this has created niche markets seeking to personalize jeans for such occasions, for instance the addition of sparkle when the user wants a more glamorous look.
Indeed many products are attempting to achieve this multidisciplinary facet in peoples' lives. The mobile phone is gradually being augmented with technology so that it can fulfil a variety of functions. Modern phones can display videos and images as well as acting as personal organisers. Looking at a different market, Tesco tries to fulfil the needs of customers not just as a supermarket for food and drink, but as a walk-in optometrist, pharmacist and clothes store.
Perhaps the criteria for an iconic product is that it can transcend boundaries much as legendary music retains its appeal through time. Jeans have clearly done this since the 19th century, and are likely to remain a key part of peoples' wardrobes for many years to come.
Context
When jeans were first sold, they were bought for their hard-wearing properties. By the 1950's wearing jeans symbolised non-conformity amongst youths, inspired by film stars of the time such as Marlon Brando. In tune with the general mood of the 1960's jeans had flowery stitching and bright patterns. By the 1980's top-end fashion designers had started to sell jeans, further driving up sales. However the 1990's signalled a fall in favour with the youth of the day. They did not want to wear clothing their parents were still so fond of, preferring alternative trousers such as chinos (The blue jeans story ,The New Internationalist, June 1998).
Today the market for jeans has fragmented as companies, seeking to satisfy increasingly diverse customer segments, have created niches from which to promote their brand. It seems likely that this trend will continue, with brands positioning themselves to best profit from the niche markets. Examples include Diesel appealing more to the youth market and organic denim pleasing those concerned with avoiding the use of chemicals.
Links
www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/bluejeans.htm - History of jeans
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeans - Background to jeans
| Author: | Neil Slade | Date: | March 2008 |