Denim – World’s Most Versatile Material
You can travel around the globe and it would be difficult to find a town where at least one person isn’t wearing denim of some kind. That’s because denim is one the most versatile and attractive materials there is. It is also a workhorse – it lasts for years, wears like iron and can take rough treatment that would destroy most other kinds of fabrics.
From Humble Beginnings…
How did denim reach such heights? It’s actually rather surprising, since its beginnings were quite humble. Denim was originally a kind of serge material used primarily for worker’s clothing because it was cheap, sturdy and didn’t show dirt because of its dark blue color. The name came from “serge de Nimes” aftera town in France where the material originated.
Levi Strauss popularized denim when he began making denim trousers (later called jeans) for miners in the 1800’s. Cowboys and others in the West began wearing them, and in the 1930’s movies showing these icons wearing denim glamorized what had previously been a purely practical material.
During World War I, American GI’s wore denim during their free time and Europeans caught the bug. Soon the popularity of denim caught on in Europe. By the 1950’s, it was a must-have for teens and a cultural phenomenon.
In the 1960’s, denim jeans were introduced with bell bottoms and beaded details. Peasant blouses with denim trim and denim shirts for men and women appeared. New manufacturing processes had made this possible because of increasingly softer materials and a variety of shades dues to various washing processes.
Over the decades, denim was more or less popular depending upon fashion’s vagaries but it never completely left the scene. During the 1980’s it became a huge fashion statement when Brooke Shields declared that nothing came between her and her Calvin’s, and various designer labels made denim impossibly chic. In the 1990’s, cargo pants and khaki’s temporarily gave denim the back seat, but denim is back with a vengeance these days with new boot cuts, low rises, and shrunken jackets.
Today, denim is also used for home décor, including upholstery and draperies. It seems that the same features that have made this fabric so popular for clothing – durability, attractiveness and versatility – is now giving it new life in the home.