No other wardrobe item has such a compelling story. It is strange to imagine, but jeans, which seem so modern to us, appeared in the middle of the 19th century. They owe their birth to Leiba Strauss, who emigrated to America from Germany in 1847. Arriving in the United States, the eighteen-year-old boy changed his name to Levi Straus - and under him forever went down in history. …
Canvas for tent
The ostrich settled in New York, was engaged in petty trade, but could barely make ends meet. Meanwhile, a gold rush broke out in California. Levy decided to try his luck and went to San Francisco. No, he had no intention of becoming a prospector and washing gold. The young man only wanted to sell canvas for tents and live modestly on a small profit.
Meanwhile, his business did not develop at all - for some reason the prospectors were in no hurry to grab the goods.
Levy was on the verge of complete ruin, but a fortune changed his whole life. One of the miners complained to him that in this hard and dirty work, ordinary pants just torn instantly - almost every week you have to buy new ones, and it is simply impossible to work in durable leather ones - they are too hot and uncomfortable in them. And then it dawned on the Ostrich - and in fact pants made of durable canvas will be more durable! He immediately went to the tailor and ordered the first tent canvas trousers, and then began selling them in his store …
Soon the prospectors heard about the miracle pants that do not wrinkle, do not tear, are easy to wash and are very comfortable to work with. Crowds of buyers were drawn to Levi, and the money flowed like a river.
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The ostrich took into account all the wishes of the clients - the prospectors demanded that for greater durability the pants had a double stitching, there would be many strong pockets for golden sand, loops for leather belts. As a result, the resulting pants suited the most fastidious buyers.
Nimes and Genoa
Interestingly, the durable new pants did not acquire their name immediately. Levy decided to order the canvas in Genoa, famous for producing the most durable fabrics. The bales arriving from Italy bore the stamp "Genes" - "Genoa". But the Americans read it in their own way and gradually began to call that the fabric itself, and later the miracle pants.
Another name for denim is denim, which also has a "geographical" origin. When the business of Ostrich began to expand, he began to buy dense twill in France, in the city of Nîmes. The product was branded "De Nim", that is - "from Nimes."
There is a legend about how jeans acquired their famous blue color. In 1867, a ship sailing from Genoa with a shipment of fabric ordered by Levi Straus was caught in a violent storm. Barrels of indigo paint were kept in the hold. When the elements raged, barrels broke and flooded several bales of fabric.
The enterprising Levi did not throw away the spoiled goods, but sewed a batch of pants from the defective canvas.
Oddly enough, it was these blue trousers that the prospectors snapped up in the first place and then began to demand exactly blue jeans!
Two horses
Jeans were constantly undergoing changes - Levi improved his brainchild. But the famous metal rivets appeared on the pants thanks to another person. Tailor Jacob Davis, a native of Riga, came up with this piece of horse harness to strengthen the pockets, which often still do not support the weight of golden sand.
According to legend, he was going to independently patent his invention, but he did not have enough money, and Davis designed it together with Levi Straus. And on May 20, 1873, the legendary model of jeans was born - a low belt, five pockets, copper rivets and the famous patch with the Levis brand name.
By the way, this patch, which was first made from linoleum, and then from leather, also has its own history. It was designed to show the excellent quality of Levi Straus' products - it shows two horses pulling jeans in different directions.
Interestingly, such competitions existed in reality - Levy often arranged demonstrative ripping of jeans by horses for advertising purposes - and the fabric stood the test with dignity!
By the way, the strength and durability of jeans are sometimes astonishing. In 1998, in the state of Nevada, a dirty rag was dug up at one of the mines. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that these are old jeans. The examination found that they were made in 1870! After restoration work, these pants, once costing 75 cents, were auctioned for $ 46,000. Representatives of the Levi Straus company bought the heirloom jeans and then exhibited them as an exhibit in the company's largest store. In honor of these jeans, a batch was released that completely repeats the legendary original. The jeans were made of artificially aged fabric, had exactly the same seams, buttons and even a pocket for tools …
Jeans walk the planet
The inventor of jeans, Levi Strauss, died in 1902, leaving a fortune of $ 6 million, and a company known throughout the world and successfully existing to this day. By that time, many manufacturers had already taken up this profitable business, offering all the new options for jeans - for women and children, and with zippers, and with additional pockets … For a long time, jeans were known only in America.
By the end of the 19th century, the merits of strong pants were appreciated by farmers, lumberjacks and, of course, cowboys. For American shepherds, jeans have become not just a necessity, but a brand name. The cowboy in jeans became a symbol of America, became the hero of numerous Westerns … After the war, jeans began their triumphant march across Europe - they got there together with the Allied army, and Europeans appreciated the convenience and quality of "American trousers for workers."
Numerous Hollywood films also contributed to the distribution of jeans - a figure in fashionable pants was present in almost every American picture.
In the USSR, the hobby for jeans began after the festival of youth and students in 1957. For many years jeans have become such an important part of the life of a young Soviet man that now it is even strange to imagine. A young man or girl who did not have jeans in their wardrobe was not considered their own in certain circles, and felt like second-class people …
As a result, they paid a lot of money for this, albeit comfortable, but ordinary clothes - the price of real jeans reached 200-250 rubles - with an average salary of 120 rubles … At the same time, the sale of jeans was of a truly criminal nature - they could be given a long term for black markings. And in 1960, two speculators received capital punishment for currency transactions. The denim trade was one of the accusations …
While in the USSR they dealt with the jeans merchants, in the West, the history of cult pants entered a new round. Prospectors, cowboys, American soldiers …
Soon, another category of people was added to this series, who made jeans their symbol. The hippies who appeared in the 60s wore only jeans - they were perfect for long trips, spending nights anywhere, long sitting on the sidewalks or the ground … Hippies adorned their pants with flowers, beads, rhinestones, embroidery, inscriptions …
By the way, many ordinary citizens liked these innovations, and these days are no longer something unique. Modern fashion designers use all sorts of materials and decorations to modernize such a mundane thing as jeans. And fashionistas all over the world are eagerly awaiting the latest collections to find out what new they can come up with with jeans that were once the usual workwear of prospectors …
Natalia Trubinovskaya