According to denim historian Daniel Friedmann, the 501 is a sort of “fraternal second skin”. But when the Bavarian entrepreneur that Levi Strauss was set off in 1853 for a San Francisco overpopulated with miners on a quest for gold in the Sierra Nevada, he was far from suspecting that his denim would go down in the history of humanity, and the history of fashion.
It was thought up to be a practical, durable, resistant, and comfortable garment, fit for these adventurers. By instinct, Levi Strauss went with fabrics that were intended to be used for making tents and wagon covers. Later on, the solidity of a certain cotton tissue with serge weavings that came from Nîmes, France would lead Strauss to give a second look to Denim, already dyed Genoa blue. It had distinguished itself as an almost vulgar working man’s blue when, in 1873, Levi Strauss completed his creation with a few added details: two riveted back pockets, and seams made of orange thread. In 1890 the mythical 501, the 5-pocketed jean, was patented. Jeans would establish themselves as a go-to piece for American farmers, miners, and railroaders.
An attribute of the working world, synonymous with the nonconformist youth, jeans are almost the reflection of one’s soul. After the war, when it was abnormal to see them worn outside of the factories, Marlon Brando and Elvis Presley in “The Wild One” and “Jailhouse Rock” respectively would bring this garment to the next level, brandishing it like an accessory from their youthful years that refused to let itself get trapped in the throes of society. In 1960, Marilyn Monroe made them sexy. James Dean, the Beat Generation, Joe Cocker, the hippies… all of these microcosms would adapt Levi’s in their own way. Jeans are instantly able to be personalized. Their shape often changes; the bellbottom variety particularly highlights their adaptability. Embroidered, distressed, pocked, patched, studded, even paint-stained, faded, or impeccably ironed, jeans have endless connotations. Andy Warhol adopted them with a blazer and a plaid shirt, effectively establishing his “Warhol look” around a pair of 501 jeans. Much later, Steve Jobs would pair them with a black turtleneck.
Next to the couture jeans of the 80s, the authentic aspect of Levi’s constitutes an expression of anti-consumerism and anti-luxury for individuals with those ideals, with the Rolling Stones at the forefront. But their unisex, democratic, all-American DNA appeals to the masses. Jeans could even be indirectly associated with the great civic and social struggles of our times, from Harvey Milk’s fight for gay rights to the fight against Apartheid. This is no doubt what fascinated TIME magazine and made them call it their “Fashion Item of the 20th Century”. Yves Saint Laurent admired them for “their modesty, their simplicity, and their sex appeal.”
And jeans still aren’t finished today. Slim, regular, flare, 7/8, bootcut, baggy, or more recently boyfriend, jeans remain a universal piece that bucks all trends, that, from streets to soirées, is never too much.
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