Hello.
Yes, you are correct. Denim jeans began as work clothes for miners,
farmers and other manual laborers. The first denim jeans (originally
called "waist overalls") were made by Levi Strauss & Company in San
Francisco in 1873.
From Country Living magazine:
"Denim has been produced in this country since the late 18th century,
but it was Bavarian-born businessman Levi Strauss who made it an
American icon. In 1873, the San Francisco dry-goods merchant joined
forces with Nevada tailor Jacob Davis, who came up with the ingenious
idea of strengthening the pocket corners of pants with rivets. After
receiving a patent for the process, the partners began producing
copper-riveted "waist overalls" in blue denim.
Initially embraced by miners, farmers, and other manual laborers,
blue jeans came to symbolize the swaggering American cowboy during the
1930s. In the 1950s they became all the rage for teens across the
country after having been trotted out on the silver screen by Marlon
Brando, James Dean, Annette Funicello, and Frankie Avalon. Later
trends gave birth to bell-bottoms, designer jeans, and a craze for
vintage denim that continues to this day."
source: Country Living Magazine, "Blue Denim," hosted by ivillage.com:
http://magazines.ivillage.com/countryliving/print/0,,293989,00.html
Additional sources:
Levi Strauss & Co - History of Denim
http://www.levistrauss.com/about/history/denim.htm
"Coming apart at the seams," Sunday Times
http://www.suntimes.co.za/1999/04/18/lifestyle/life02.htm
A SHORT HISTORY OF DENIM BY LYNN DOWNEY, LS&CO. HISTORIAN, hosted by auckland.nl:
http://www.auckland.nl/Levis/levisdenimhist.htm
THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THAR' JEANS!, hosted by antiquetalk.com:
http://www.antiquetalk.com/column197.htm
---------------
search terms:
history, denim, jeans, levi, "waist overalls"
I hope this helps. |
,
0 Comments
)