Jeans

There is no specific reason for posting this random post.
Today I am writing about Jeans -- which are a very important part of our lives. We all wear them almost everyday although most of us do not know the history of Jeans.

As is said no item of clothing is more 'American ' than the blue jeans which were invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. It was their vision of having turned these three ingredients -- denim, thread and a little metal into the most popular clothing product in the world. Waist overalls, was the traditional name for work pants, which is what these first jeans were called. The word jeans became more popular around 1960 when the baby-boom generation adopted the term for its favorite type of pants, blue jeans..

Following are some typical facts about Jeans ! (Ref : Click here)

• An original pair of Levi's jeans is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
• The word, 'jeans,' came from the cotton workpants worn by sailors from the port of Genoa, Italy, who were themselves known as Genes.
• The jeans market has grown to be a $14.6 billion industry
• On May 20, 1873, Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss received patent #139,121 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Levi's® 501® jeans are the original Shrink-To-Fit®, button-fly blue jeans first created in the 1800s. 501® jeans are the oldest and best selling product of Levi Strauss & Co. The number 501 was assigned to the jeans around 1890.
• In 1885 a pair of Levi waist overalls cost $1.25. Brand new. By the turn of the century, the company charged $8.50 for a pair of blue jeans.
• In 1997, Levi Strauss & Co. paid $25,000 for a pair of 100 year old jeans (for their museum) found in an old Colorado mine, which is the oldest known pair of Levi jeans.
• Seven out of 10 Americans say jeans are their first pick for casual wear.
• Levi Strauss & Co. currently makes 501® jeans in approximately 108 sizes and 20 finishes/fabrics.
• A typical pair of Levi's® 501® jeans takes about 1 3/4 yards of denim, 213 yards of thread, five buttons and six rivets.
• There are 37 separate sewing operations involved in making a single pair of Levi's® 501® jeans.
• The red Tab Device was created in 1936 to help identify Levi's® 501® jeans from a distance.
• Until 1960, Levi's® 501® jeans were called "waist overalls."
• One bolt of denim weighs approximately a quarter of a ton. Cutters use an electric saw to cut through 120 layers of cloth at one time. About 60 pairs of jeans can be cut from one bolt of fabric.
• The double row of stitching on the back pockets - known as the Arcuate stitching design - is the oldest apparel trademark still in use today. It was first used in 1873. During World War II, the Arcuate stitching design was painted on the pockets due to government rationing of essential items such as thread.
• Rivets were first used on 501® jeans in 1873 because miners complained that their pockets ripped under the weight of ore samples. The early jeans had rivets on the front and back pockets. Rear rivets were covered beginning in 1937 because of complaints that the rivets scratched school desk chairs and saddles. Since 1967, reinforced stitching has replaced the back pocket rivets.

Jeans are the parts of our lives and I think some of these points were worth reading. Hope you liked the post.

A Levis advertisement which took my attention is the following: The girl featuring in this advertisement is non other than the 'sabke dilon ki dhadkan' -- Deepika Padukone ... Doesn't she look fabulous ? A blue print for a Bombay / Delhi college girl...

Creative ad.




Much love
Rohit