Know Your Jeans
It has been centuries since jeans first came into existence. From being an inexpensive fabric only worn by the working class to being the rebellious and trendy pants, jeans have literally travelled a long way. Read on to find out some interesting facts about your beloved denims.
1. It is believed that denim was first invented in Genoa, Italy, as far back as the 1500s. It was made for the Italian navy to wear while on duty. Although the Italians were the first to make it, the material itself came from a French city called Nimes. ‘De Nimes’, which means ‘from Nimes’ in English, gave the material its name. The word ‘jeans’ comes from the word ‘Genes’, which is the French word for the city of Genoa.
2. It was first seen in the 16th century, but Levi Strauss was the man who popularised the material in the 1870s. He made clothes for miners and other working class people since the material was inexpensive.
3. A grand total of 225 pairs of jeans can be made from just one bale of cotton.
4. May 20th is regarded as the birthday of blue jeans, since it was the day when Levi Strauss patented his idea
5. 90% of the world’s zippers for jeans is made by a company named Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha the initials YKK can often be found on the zippers.
6. In 1971, the number of episodes of the Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour helped popularize bell-bottomed jeans.
7. Approximately 20 thousand tons of indigo is produced every year solely for the purpose of dying jeans.
8. About 2.5 billion yards of denim is produced every year all around the world and over 50% of denim is produced in Asia alone, specifically in China, India, and Bangladesh.
From the November 2020 issue of FHM India.
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