The Story of Blue Jeans - Part 1
Wearing jeans is so common and popular today, and it is no wonder. Jeans are so durable and trendy. and they don’t cost very much. Everyone enjoys the simplicity and comfort for work, for everyday wear and even for formal events. People are wearing jeans for times at home relaxing, as work clothes, for social occasions and even a night out on the town. Jeans withstand the test of time so you can really wear them just about anywhere.
Who originally created jeans?
No one person invented jeans. Rather than being created at one point in time, they evolved over 400 years into the form and design we are familiar with today.
When we think of jeans, we think of the everyday jeans made of denim. Denim is very tough and versatile because it is made with a strong cotton twill material with a unique diagonal weave. Before it made its way to Europe this fabric was being made in India where it was known as dungaree.
The name “dungaree” comes from Dongarii Fort, an area on the outskirts of the Indian city of Bombay, where the material was produced and sold. It was usually dyed with blue indigo dye creating the distinctive blue colour that exists to this day. This distinctive dungaree cloth was first used by sailors on Portuguese sailing ships. They wore it in their travels around the world and introduced it to Europe.
Not too many years later the fabric was being manufactured in Europe, more or less as the thick cotton material we know well today as “denim”. In France in 1600s denim was woven near the city known as Nimes where the cloth was called serge. It became known as “serge de Nimes” which was eventually shortened to “de Nimes” and anglicized to “denim”.
Denim trousers became known as “jeans” because the port of Genoa (Genes in French) became a major manufacturer of denim pants. The sturdy pants were used by sailors in the Genoese Navy. They were ideal for sailors, like modern teenagers - who had to practically live in their clothes. They could wear their denim clothing wet or dry, the legs could be easily rolled up, and they could be washed simply by dragging them behind the ship in a large net.
Hey! What could be better than that?