Jeans are probably the most widely worn garment on the planet. But they started life as tough workwear, and the words "denim" and "jeans" come from two different European cities.
Where the words come from
Denim is widely believed to come from serge de Nîmes, a sturdy twill from the French city of Nîmes. Jeans is thought to come from Gênes, the French name for Genoa in Italy, where a hard-wearing cotton cloth was used for sailors' and workers' trousers.
The rivet that made the modern jean
In 1873, Levi Strauss, a dry-goods merchant in San Francisco, and Jacob Davis, a tailor in Nevada, received a US patent for reinforcing work trousers with copper rivets at the points that tore most often, such as the pocket corners. Those riveted "waist overalls" are the direct ancestor of the five-pocket jeans we wear today.
It's a nice reminder that the jean was designed from the start around strengthening weak points.
From workwear to icon
For decades, jeans were worn by miners, farmers, railway workers and cowboys. In the mid-20th century, films and music turned them into a symbol of youth and rebellion. By the 1970s and 80s they were everyday wear across the world, and designer labels were selling them at premium prices.
The Japanese revival
As American mills modernised with faster looms, Japanese makers bought old shuttle looms and revived traditional techniques. Japan became famous for selvedge denim, natural indigo dyeing and meticulous craftsmanship. More in Japanese denim explained.
The future: wear it longer
Today the biggest denim story is sustainability. Making a pair of jeans takes a lot of water, energy and cotton, so the greenest pair is the one you already own. See repair, don't replace.