Denim fabric, history of a fashion icon
Denim fabric is one of the most used fabrics today for making clothing, both for its characteristics and for its aesthetics and versatility.
However, denim fabric was not always the fashion icon we are accustomed to. In fact, there was even a time when the use of denim was frowned upon in certain spheres of society.
The “fabric of Nimes”, the denim fabric of France
Although there is no consensus, one of the most accepted theories about the origin of denim is that it appeared in Nimes (hence its name), a city in the south of France halfway between Montpellier and Avignon.
Historically, this Gallic region was a major center of textile production around cotton , the raw material for denim fabric.
Due to its resistance, denim fabric began to be used to make peasant clothing in the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition, denim fabric was also used to make boat sails, awnings and canvas.
The popularity of denim fabric as workwear began to grow, not only in Europe, but also in the new continent.
Löb Strauß, the first denim fabric manufacturer in the United States
Löb Strauß was a German merchant who emigrated to the United States in 1847. Later, in 1853, he moved to San Francisco, where he would eventually become one of the largest industrial manufacturers of denim clothing in the country: Levi Strauss.
Levi Strauss' idea was to use the “ Nimes fabric ” to make miners' pants, a very hard job that required a fabric resistant to weather, humidity, etc.
However, there was a problem: the miners' pockets frequently came apart due to the weight of the materials they carried in them. To reinforce them, Strauss used copper rivets, and patented the first Levi Strauss denim pants in 1873.
Much later, in 1934, she made the first jeans for women who lived and worked on farms. Although, by then, Levi Strauss was not the only industrial manufacturer of denim pants.
Lee joins denim clothing business
Henry David Lee created the Lee denim brand in 1889 to improve the quality of denim overalls for factory workers.
This fact, that is, the creation of a new brand, was what further increased the popularity of denim , not only on the West coast, but also on the East.
In addition to making pants like Strauss, Lee created denim jackets for railroad workers in 1921, which reached the hips, had large front pockets and had a loose cut that provided more comfort throughout the day.
Denim fabric makes the leap to Hollywood
Although originally denim fabric was used exclusively for work clothes, things changed after World War II, in 1945.
The first Hollywood movies appeared in which the stars wore pants made of denim fabric . However, they continued to use them in their daily lives, which caused a scandal, as denim was associated with workers' clothing.
People expected Hollywood stars to wear expensive and luxurious designer clothes in their daily lives, not the denim clothes that people belonging to the lower and poorer classes of society wore to work.
Be that as it may, thanks to Hollywood and its most rebellious celebrities, denim fabric definitively made the leap to stardom as street clothing.
Marilyn Monroe, the denim fabric as an icon of sensuality
In her 1954 film River of No Return , Marilyn Monroe wore jeans, which further changed the perception of this type of garment and of denim fabric itself.
In this way, it stopped being a garment for working women and became a symbol of sensuality and femininity. So much so that editorials like Vogue began to include jeans in their publications.
The denim fabric revolution in the 60s-70s
It was in the 60s and 70s, decades animated by great social changes, when the use of denim pants became widespread throughout the world.
They began to be created in different shades and styles, such as elephant-leg, flared, and wide-leg pants. The first frayed, ripped and torn jeans also appeared, symbolically imitating work clothes; and stone washed ones ( délavé ), to give them that older look.
We, the denim fashion brand Bustins Jeans , were one of the first brands to introduce délavé denim jeans in Spain, in those years.
It was difficult for us to find the right technique, but, after many tests with dyes and chemicals, we finally managed to give that finish to the denim fabric.
That was the reason for the success of the “stocks” in the 70s and 80s, and in the years of the Movida Madrileña , denim garments that now, half a century later, we have recovered in this collection of vintage jeans .
And the denim fabric has survived to this day...
Denim garments stopped being associated with the working class a long time ago, and they have also lost the protesting character they had in the 60s and 70s.
Today there is no women's or men's wardrobe in which there are not denim garments. Garments whose styles and versatility are practically unlimited.
From the times of Strauss and Lee until today, there are many brands that offer denim clothing , although most of them are fast fashion brands with an unethical vision of the sector.
In fact, the very high demand for denim clothing has led these brands to lower costs by relocating production sites to third world countries , where workers' rights and environmental legislation are practically non-existent.
Due to this, the fashion sector has become one of the most polluting sectors today, with approximately 10% of emissions responsible for climate change.
It is undeniable that, due to chain production and the low cost it represents for them, these brands can sell their garments at very low prices , without forgetting that they are low quality garments that will end up in the trash soon.
The problem is that we, the final consumers, do not seem to see the true price of a pair of 20-30 euro jeans : waste of water in countries where not the entire population has access to it, tacit support for the exploitation of workers in these countries. countries, etc.
At Bustins Jeans we did not want to be another agent that aggravates the problem , but rather a solution to it. For this reason, we prefer slow fashion as a business model , a more responsible and ethical vision of a sector that is condemning so many future generations.
For this reason, we produce our garments in Spain with materials of renewable and traceable origin, artisanally in our small workshop , to offer a limited and timeless catalogue . This is how we get clothes that can last for years if they are maintained properly.
Of course, the quality and artisanal production is reflected in the price of our garments, but we are clear that, if there is something worth investing in, it is in our planet and the new direction that we want to give it for the generations to come. .
We have just seen the origins and evolution of denim... For the sake of all, will you now help us change its future and ours with it?