The word
Jeans originated from a rare type of material used in Europe, the material named 'Jean’ was named after Italian sailors in Genoa as they were the first to use the material as part of their uniforms, consequently the name ‘jeans’ comes from the French phrase
bleu de Gênes, literally meaning
blue of Genoa. Initially jeans were sturdy and appropriate for workers, it was in the
1930s when western movies created popularity for jeans as cowboys often wore them, it was common for eastern Americans to vacate to the west and were sure to bring back some denim overalls.
It wasn't till the
1940s when
Levi Strauss had to complete with different companies such as
Wrangler and
Lee after the soldiers in World War II made them popular again. Jeans started to become popular with the younger teen generation in the
1960s and was becoming more acceptable, new styles of jeans started to develop to keep up with the evolving fashions. However in non western parts of America jeans were still firmly associated with the west. Everywhere else they were a symbol of teenage rebels in movies with such characters played by the likes of James Dean. Some schools even banned students from wearing jeans because of their connotations.
The denim and textiles industry revolutionised in the
1980s and the sale of jeans went up and up when they finally became high fashion clothing and designers started to create their own designs with their own names on them. Since then jeans are no longer known as a fashion statement but a necessity and they will continue to develop in shape and size through years to come.
