History and Growth of Jeans - Research Paper Example

History and Growth of Jeans The word “Jeans” is derived from a particular type of fabric that was manufactured in Europe, and this is d after sailors who wore the clothes made from jeans, these were the sailors who traveled from Genoa in Italy. Denim is derived from the French fabric called Serge de Nimes which means ‘a kind of material from a French town Nimes.’ In India denim trousers were worn by sailors in an area called Dhunga, these trousers later became famous as dungarees, which are worn even today. In the beginning the cloth for jeans was made from a blend of various things, later it was manufactured from only cotton, as in the eighteenth century, slave labor, trade and cotton plantation grew. It looked dark blue as it was generally colored with indigo, a type of colorant derived from plants in India and America. Almost 20 million tons of indigo is produced for the dyeing of jeans every year, though each pair of jeans requires only a few grams of the dye. It was worn by workers as the fabric was very durable and strong. Gold was found in California in the year 1848 which gave rise to the popular Gold rush, the workers of the gold mine required long lasting cloths that would last long and not be worn off easily. A man called Leob Strauss who lived in New York shifted to San Francisco which is quite close to California and started a wholesale business of supplying clothes, later he changed his name to Levi from Leob, who the founder of the well known Levis Jeans Company. The major problem faced by the miners was that the pockets of their jeans would easily tear away from the jeans, so a person called Jacob Davis thought of an idea to overcome this problem. He had the idea of using metal fasteners to prevent the pockets from tearing away and to hold the pockets and the jeans together. Davis wanted to copyright his idea but due to lack of funds. He could not do so. In the year 1872 Davis sent a written proposal to Strauss, offering him a deal if Strauss agreed to pay fort the copyright, the proposal was accepted by Strauss and Davis started manufacturing copper fasteners. Levi attached a leather label on their jeans in the year 1886; it displayed two horses pulling a pair of jeans from in opposite directions, this was to display and advertise the strength of the jeans, and represented that even if it is pulled by two horses it would not tear apart. Hollywood stared making many western movies in 1930’s, where cowboys generally wore denim waist overalls; jeans were called that back then. This denim waist overall that is jeans became very popular and many eastern Americans would carry back these overalls with them to the eastern states after vacations. Jeans were produced in small quantities during the Second World War; however these jeans were introduced by the American soldiers to the world as they often wore jeans when they were off duty. The sale of jeans was expanded by Levi outside the western states of America after the World War ended, other competitors like Lee and Wrangler also started to compete with Levi for a share of this newly formed market. Denim earned popularity amongst youngsters in 1950s. Jeans was symbolized as teenage rebel in televisions shows and movies, for example in a movie called Rebel without a Cause, jeans was shown worn by a rebel. In the United States of America some schools banned jeans from being worn by students. These denim waist overalls were called ‘jean pants’ by the young people. Many university and college students started wearing jeans in the 1960s, different styles of jeans were produced to suit the fashion of 60s, there were various jeans available in the market like painted jeans, embroidered jeans, psychedelic jeans, etc. in the eastern countries the jeans were not available easily, and became a symbol of western decadence, the jeans companies in the US would receive letters from around the world requesting to send a pair of jeans to the writers. In the 1970s the regulations on the world trade became more flexible and hassle-free jeans started to be manufacturing in sweatshops in the Southern countries, as the workers were paid lesser, jeans became cheaper and affordable, many people in the south started wearing jeans. “By the mid- 1970, however, the fast growing ranks of jeans makers were scrambling for ways to distinguish themselves” (Sullivan 2006, 197). The 1980s became high fashion and this gave rise to new types and styles of jeans manufactured by famous fashion designers with their own labels on them and the sales of jeans kept increasing. The striking consumption and high living of the eighties proved to be bare quest to many people. The beginning of the nineties saw a reassessment of priorities. Closing in on the millennium people became more and more concerned about family life, old fashioned values, and the environment. This search and need for genuineness and quality helped in bringing out the boom that was persistent in the late eighties. This led to an interest in the period original lines and newer lines that captured details of jeans of the past. Jeans again adapted the spirit of old times, and began to represent old friends. Jeans were considered modern and practical, yet associated with a simple life like the olden days. In today’s time there is no other item of clothing in the world that is more American than the blue jeans invented by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in 1873. Denim was changed into the world’s most popular clothing item with the help of a little metal and thread by these two creative immigrants. The traditional name of work pants was waist overalls and this was what jeans were earlier called. In 1960 the word jeans became popular when that baby-boom generation adopted the term for their favorite type of pants that is blue jeans. “Denim was the foundation of LS&CO.’s line of manufactured clothing, but they understood that not all workingmen were laborers. Men who worked in offices and as factory supervisors needed high-quality clothing too, and to meet this need, the company offering fine khakhi and corduroy pant, vest, and coats around 1905” (Downey 2007, 45). In the 1960s the jeans culture evolved, driven by popular culture and rock and roll and the traditional dress code was broken. And since that period the jeans has become an important part of a common mans wardrobe and is worn by an increasing number of consumers. For few retailers and consumers it has become a basic product and for a few a high fashion statement. Jeans companies today are adding in the concepts of music, celebrity, authenticity endorsement and placement of the product to increase sales. According to a study it shows that the jeans market around the globe will increase in retail value to USD 56.2 billion by 2014. Suit used to be an easy to get dressed for work, all that one had to do was to put on a suit and a shirt or blouse, tie or jewelry and leave for work where as now the business casuals have been introduced which has added more comfort and creativity, as well as confusion and chaos. It is not just limited to the USA but it is also become popular in other countries as well. According to research in India people working in the computer industry are being encouraged to wear and adopt the Silicon Valley attire that is sneakers, jeans and T-shirts. The only challenge of wearing business casuals is that people might feel so casual at work that they might become more casual and laid back in other areas of work. The theory of “you are what you eat” may apply in this case as well that is “you are what you wear”. Recent studies show that there has been no change in the productivity or the morale of the employees in a company due to their dress down policy, however many companies are reconsidering the traditional business dress code. These days jeans is easily available a jeans in 2006 can be bought in Marks and Spencers far as cheap as 9 pounds and a pair of M & S indigo 2% comfort Lycra basic straight leg skinnies for 15 pounds. Where as a pair of black Earl Jeans for around one hundred and fifteen pounds, when this pair is compared to the M & S it seems quite similar in fit, as well as comfort. The price of the Earl Jeans is so high because of the designer being a big name and that people like to say that they are wearing jeans by Armani or Tommy rather than a local cloth company. High fashion jeans are generally called designer jeans. Designer jeans were born in the year 1978. The credit of launching designer jeans goes to the Nakash brothers, Ralph, Avi, and Joe. They started the trend of designer jeans when they launched their brand of designer jeans, Jordarche in 1978. Designer jeans generally come from big brands, and famous fashion designers. These jeans are specially cut for men and women. They are usually better fit than traditional jeans. However, with changing market trends and the ever growing fashion industry various other cuts have also been introduced. These jeans generally come with the name of the brand or designer on the back pocket or the front coin pocket. Designer jeans lost popularity in the late eighties. They were getting back into the fashion market in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, the nineties saw the rise of Helmut Lang. this was followed by designer and specialty brands such as Cheap Monday, Citizens of Humanity, Diesel, Chip and Pepper, Energie, Guess?, Dorinha Jeans Wear, Evisu, Ellecid, Lucky Jeans, Ksubi, Nudie Jeans, Replay, True Religion, Rock and Republic, Seven for All Mankind, William Rast, and many more. Along with the new names in the market the old popular brands, such as Dittos, Jordache, and Calvin Klein also made a comeback in the market with exceptional designs that made them famous. Based on the manufacturer or designer, jeans come in many different fits and styles. One of the most popular styles amongst youngsters is the stone-washed, faded jeans; these jeans are made to look as if they have been worn out. The latest trend in jeans is the skinny jeans which are usually worn with Sperry Top-Siders or flats, which come in a wide range of colors ranging from purple to red to the traditional black and the various different hues of blue. Some popular brands also sell vintage look jeans, these jeans are torn and pre-scratched even before being used. The distance from the crotch to the waistband in jeans also brings represent the style of the jeans worn. Jeans range from high-waist or high rise, mid-rise, low-rise or low-riders, and superlow-rise. Men prefer jeans with a longer zipper and rise than women, while women prefer low rise jeans. These trends keep changing with the changing trends of the fashion industry. For example, in the past decade, during the 1990s women preferred wearing high-rise jeans, as that was the fashion trend. “According to the Monitor, 43 percent of female respondents bought the same amount or more pairs of jeans when back-to-school shopping in 2006. These same respondents offered myriad reasons for buying more of their beloved denim; including more school-age children in the family, children outgrowing existing pairs, replacing worn out jeans and a basic need for more.” (Cotton Incorporated 2007, para 12). Currently, the global market for jeans wear is valued to be at USD 51.6 billion, this figure takes into account the momentous price depreciation. The increasing growth of the industry is predicted to be around 1.25%, which is considered quite well. The global jeans wear market is predicted to rise by USD 4.6 billion by the year 2014, according to a research conducted by just-style.com, an industry website. The jeans and denim market is a prosperous industry for all kinds of denim products today. Denim is used in a variety of items, from fashion wear, to handbags, school uniforms, caps, and even spectacle cases. Denim is a material that is here to stay, and jeans are a product that will never go out of fashion. Reference List -Cotton Incorporated. Birth and the Blue Jeans. 5-10-2007. http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=540 (accessed 11 2, 2009). -Sullivan, James. Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon. USA: Gotham Books, 2006. -Downey, Lynn. Levi Strauss & Co. USA: Arcadia Publishing, 2007. Read More