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The fabric would have been Genoese jean, which was cheaper. : 10 The ten paintings depict impoverished scenes with lower-class figures wearing a fabric that looks like denim. This is seen in a series of genre paintings from around the 17th century attributed to an artist now nicknamed The Master of the Blue Jeans. Ĭopper rivets for reinforcing pockets are a characteristic feature of blue jeans.īy the 17th century, jean was a crucial textile for working-class people in Northern Italy. It was replaced by indigo synthesis methods developed in Germany. Nearly all indigo, needed for dyeing, came from indigo bush plantations in India until the late 19th century. : 23 In 1576 a quantity of "jean fustians" arrived into the port of Barnstaple on a vessel from Bristol. Nîmes's "denim" was coarser, considered higher quality, and was used "for over garments such as smocks or overalls". The Genoese navy equipped its sailors with jeans, as they needed a fabric which could be worn wet or dry. Genoa's jean fabric was a fustian textile of "medium quality and of reasonable cost", very similar to cotton corduroy for which Genoa was famous, and was "used for work clothes in general". In Nîmes, weavers tried to reproduce jean fabric but instead developed a similar twill fabric that became known as denim, " de Nîmes", meaning "from Nîmes". Gênes, the French word for Genoa, may be the origin of the word " jeans". Research on the trade of jean fabric shows that it emerged in the cities of Genoa, Italy, and Nîmes, France. Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, Genoa, Italy. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler.Ī traditional women's Genoese dress in "blue jeans" (1890s). Nowadays, they are one of the most popular types of specialty trousers in Western culture. From the 1960s onwards, jeans became common among various youth subcultures and subsequently young members of the general population. Originally designed for miners, modern jeans were popularized as casual wear by Marlon Brando and James Dean in their 1950s films, particularly The Wild One and Rebel Without a Cause, leading to the fabric becoming a symbol of rebellion among teenagers, especially members of the greaser subculture.
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Jean cloth can be entirely cotton as well, similar to denim. "Jean" also references a (historic) type of sturdy cloth commonly made with a cotton warp and wool weft (also known as "Virginia cloth"). Prior to the Levi Strauss patented trousers, the term "blue jeans" had been long in use for various garments (including trousers, overalls, and coats), constructed from blue-colored denim. Davis in partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", which were invented by Jacob W. Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth.
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