What is the connection between the denim fabric denim and work clothes? How did the first jeans come about? Who is Levi Strauss and how did his entrepreneurial spirit change the world of textiles and clothing?
We will try to answer these and other questions in the following lines.
The first association with the word "denim" and the true story
Usually, when most people hear the word "denim," they immediately associate it with "jeans" and anything fashion-related. However, the truth is that, historically and chronologically speaking, denim and workwear have much more in common than you might imagine...
The history of denim and workwear is closely linked to the name of Loeb Strauss, the son of Jewish parents. He was born in 1829 in a small town in northern Bavaria, and when he turned 18 he emigrated with his family to the United States and took the name Levi. This move was also necessitated by the negative attitude towards the Jewish community in what was then Bavaria.
Levy knows very well about the famous California Gold Rush in the middle of the 19th century, and that is why he moved to San Francisco. There he already founded a shop for trading in a wide variety of fabrics, including tarpaulin.
Levi soon realized that prospectors needed durable pants to carry out their hard work.
This goes for factory workers as well as cowboys and farmers. At this point, the trader shows his entrepreneurial spirit and starts using for work pants denim – a cotton fabric of entirely plant origin that is dyed blue with indigo. However, the problem with the pockets remains – they are not strong and rough enough for gold miners to put their many tools in them.
Time for a patent – jeans, fashion and denim workwear
In 1870 Riga tailor Jakob Davies found an innovative way to reinforce pockets by riveting their edges. Davis, however, did not have the financial means to patent his idea, so he turned to Levi Strauss.
Thus, on May 20, 1873, the two received a patent for the world's first blue cotton pants, also known as "jeans". However, as you already know, jeans were originally intended for workwear, not fashion. But if, despite this information, you also want to stock up on fashionable clothes, you can always check out ours denim shorts, men's long sleeve denim shirt and denim summer hat with hard peak.
What makes denim the best possible material for manufacturing workwear? Follow our blog closely and you will learn in the following materials!
Sources used to write the article:
1. Denim workwear – a return to the classics
2. Denim workwear – a guarantee of durability, style and comfort