In the complex interplay between fashion and sociology, few garments tell a story as multifaceted as denim. Denim embodies a living paradox: simultaneously elite and accessible, traditional yet revolutionary, local and global. Its continuous evolution stands as a testament to the fluid boundaries of our society. Every thread, every shade of indigo, carries a powerful message: clothing is never just clothing. It's a mirror, a manifesto, a revolution. This is a short history of this revolution.
Blue Jeans: From Workwear to Fashion Statement
Jeans, those ubiquitous blue pants that populate nearly every closet around the world, have a fascinating origin story that spans continents and centuries. What began as humble workwear in the bustling port city of Genoa, Italy, would eventually revolutionize global fashion and become a symbol of American culture. The term "jeans" itself derives from "blue of Genoa," referring to the sturdy cotton trousers worn by Genoese sailors in the 16th century.
The predecessor to jeans was the fustian, that played an important role in their development.
fustian emerged as a twill-woven fabric, distinguished by its diagonal ribbing, crafted from cotton weft and either wool or linen warp. Both fibres were dyed in indigo using woad, a plant that flourished across Europe's landscapes. In the 15th century, the Piedmontese city of Chieri stood as one of Europe's premier centres for indigo-dyed fustian production.
This remarkably durable fabric spread its influence across Europe and, subsequently, the globe, carried by vessels departing from Genoa's bustling port. Different variations of the fabric carried the names of their cities of origin or trade: 'denim' from the fabric of Nîmes, and 'jeans' from the cloth of Genoa.
Between the 15th and 16th centuries, fustian underwent a remarkable transformation. The substitution of wool or linen with cotton birthed a new textile: a diagonal-ribbed fabric made entirely of cotton, featuring white or ecru weft yarns and indigo-dyed warp. This deep blue hue was achieved using both the European woad and indigo plant, the latter having travelled from Asia along the Silk Road.
This innovative fabric found its initial purpose protecting ship sails during voyages to the New World. However, it had already woven itself into the fabric of lower social spheres, eventually capturing the attention of both Flemish and Italian painters by the 17th century. The "Master of the Jeans Canvas" offers us, through his works, an alternative narrative of this ubiquitous textile, now one of the world's most widely used fabrics.
This historical link between fustian and jeans helps explain why Genoa played such a crucial role in the development of jeans, as the city had already established itself as a center for sturdy cotton textile production through its fustian industry.
Timeline
Origin
XVI century: Tela Genova was born
1510-1515: Madonna della pappa by Gerard David
1538-1540: Lenten cloth by Teramo Piaggio
XVII Century: early evidence of the artistic use of Tela Genova (jeans)
mid-17th Century: use of jeans for clothing (Museo Nazionale delle arti e tradizioni popolari, Rome; Museo civico etnografico Giovanni Podenzana, La Spezia; Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola, Genoa)
XIX Century: 19th century watercolours depict the extensive use of denim for both men's and women's clothing (Museo Giannettino Luxoro, Genoa)
Utilitarian Phase (1850s-1930s)
1853: Levi Strauss & Co. was founded in San Francisco to manufacture and sell clothing for gold miners and miners
1860: During the Expedition of the Thousand, Giuseppe Garibaldi wore jeans, now preserved in the Museo Centrale del Risorgimento, Rome
1861-1865: during the American Civil War, soldiers wore jeans
1865: Adolf von Baeyer synthesised indigo
1873: Levi Strauss registered, with patent No. 139,121, the invention of the tailor Jacob Davis to reinforce 4 pockets of denim trousers with copper rivets to reinforce the points subject to the most wear. The jeans had 4 pockets: 3 in the front and 1 in the back, button fastening and more buttons for the braces: this is the famous Levi 501
1884: the first description of jeans in literature: Our outer clothing is made of canvas, which can be bought in every store. The overalls of the herders are generally blue, worn either without under-garments, or over a pair of cloth trousers and red flannel drawers, according to the state of the weather. One or two flannel shirts, usually dark blue, with a turn-down collar, and some ornament, either lacing or buttons, in front; a brown canvas coat lined with flannel; a felt hat with a good wide brim; strong highlows, and a stick. There is hardly ever any difference in the men's working dress from the above; these are the kind universally provided for the Western market, and the woollen goods are worse than inferior. The overalls have to be renewed oftenest. On leaving every town some of the boys would appear in a new blue pair of trousers; a large, light-coloured patch, sewn into the waistband behind, represents a galloping horse as a trade mark, and informs all concerned that the wearer is clothed in " Wolf and Neumanns Boss of the Road, with rivetted buttons and patent continuous fly”. Then come two figures — say 36 and 34 — which refer to the size of waist and length of leg. If short and stout you buy a large man's size, and turn up the bottom of the leg. If, on the contrary, 32 would suit you for waist, you must, not seldom in a country store, take 40, so as to secure the other dimension. An odd size, however, leads to tailoring in camp, which is an unprofitable employment; most men, therefore, start with at least one extra pair of overalls to fit. The patch is left either from idleness, or as a memorandum of one's measurements. (Shepherd, Major W. Prairie Experiences in Handling Cattle and Sheep. London: Chapman and Hall, 1884: 231-232)
1890: Lee and Wrangler join Levi's in the production of jeans, which is already widely used
1890: melodramatic play Blue Jeans by Joseph Arthur, a rural play set in the city of Rising Sun, Indiana, “the blue jean” district
1905: the second back pocket is added: the Levi’s 501 xx
1905: Jeans are part of the stage attire of the piece The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco
1914: William Hurt wore jeans in his western films
1922: belt loops are added
1926: Lee definitely replaces buttons with zip
1929: The Great Depression and thus the great lack of economic resources brought attention to the most affordable fabric of all: jeans.
1934: Levi’s designed the first model for women: the Levi’s 701
1935: women's jeans appeared for the first time in Vogue [(Burt, S. “Fashion: Boccaccio in chaps.” Vogue, 85/1935, 72-72, 73, 122, 123. https://www.proquest.com/magazines/fashion-boccaccio-chaps/docview/879199647/se-2 ) access with Polimoda account]
1936: Modern times by Charlie Chaplin
1937: suspender buttons are permanently removed
1943: Rosie the Riveter is on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, thanks to Norman Rockwell, giving visibility to women who went to work in the war industry during the Second World War
1945-1965: thanks to the Western films, jeans became synonymous with the idealized cowboy image
Cultural Revolution Phase (1950s-1970s)
1955: James Dean in Rebel without a Cause. In "Rebel Without a Cause," James Dean's character Jim Stark's blue jeans became an iconic symbol of youth rebellion in 1950s America. The jeans, paired with his red Windbreaker jacket, represented a departure from the more formal attire expected of middle-class youth at the time. While denim had historically been associated with working-class laborers, Dean's portrayal transformed jeans into a powerful symbol of teenage defiance and authenticity. The way Dean wore his jeans - slightly rolled up, with a casual stance - communicated a rejection of adult conformity and propriety. His character's denim represented freedom from societal constraints and parental expectations, themes that run throughout the film. The jeans also served as a great equalizer, breaking down class barriers among the teenage characters and establishing a visual code of youth solidarity. Dean's portrayal had a lasting impact on fashion and popular culture. His styling of blue jeans helped transition denim from workwear to a fashion statement, influencing generations of teenagers who adopted the look as a means of expressing their own rebellion and individuality. The combination of Dean's natural charisma and the accessibility of jeans as a garment created a lasting template for youth fashion that continues to resonate.
The adoption of denim by various subcultures transformed it into a powerful medium for identity expression. Each subculture modified and reinterpreted denim according to its own aesthetic and ideological preferences:
Greaser and Rock Culture
- Straight-leg, dark denim
- Cuffed styling
- Working-class associations
- Rebellion against middle-class conformity
Hippie Movement
- Customized and embellished denim
- Gender-neutral styling
- Anti-consumerist modifications
- Artistic and personal expression
Punk Movement
- Deliberately destroyed denim
- Political statements through modification
- Anti-fashion stance
- DIY aesthetic
Hip-Hop Culture
- Baggy silhouettes
- Brand consciousness
- Urban identity expression
- Status signification
Fashion Industry Integration (1980s-Present)
1979: Calvin Klein takes jeans down the catwalk https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/jeans-calvin-klein/ogFbZLzLwmsFfA?hl=en
[Published 9/02/2025]