Different Era of Jeans

Jeans are a type of trousers, typically made from denim or dungaree cloth. Since its inception, jeans have gone from rugged workwear to fashion apparel. It has changed its form with time due to social, political, cultural and geographical influence but never lost its prowess. In this article we will be talking about the different era of jeans and the trends that have come, gone and come back within this 150+ years.

The Birth of Jeans

The jeans was introduced by Jacob W. Davis in partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. in 1871 and patented on May 20, 1873. It was basically used as a workwear for the miners as it was durable enough to withstand hard work. The whole story behind the emergence of jeans has been portrayed in the article “Evolution of Jeans“. During its early days, jeans were not used because they were stylish, but rather, practical. However, the world was about to see a whole new dimension of fashion that will originate from this fabric.

1920s to 1930s: Stepping into mainstream culture

Jeans continued to be used as workwear in American West. In fact, they were adopted by the cowboys, and laborers because of its robust nature. But the popularity touched the sky when Hollywood brought this trend into their films. And with these, Jeans placed themselves in mainstream culture.

1940s to 1950s: Cool Blue

World War II was over and Europe saw the denim for the first time (from American-Army leftovers). They absolutely loved it and the demand gradually grew over time. European clothing brands tried to copy the US originals but there was an extensive difference.

Levi began to sell their clothes outside America to capture the newly grown market whereas other companies, like Wrangler and Lee, started to compete with Levi for a share.

In the 1950’s, jeans hit the teenagers as a “Cool” thing to wear. It became the sign of the teenage rebel in TV programs and movies. Marlon Brando and James Dean were the pioneers who brought the tough image of jeans. However, adults started to wear them along with teenagers who wanted just to look like rebels.

1960s: Patchwork and embroidery

It was an era where the fashion took challenges, even with the jeans. Patchwork and brightly colored embroidery were coming in. The shape of the trousers were also changing – the leg openings were widened to make trousers fit to wear with boots. This makeshift was like a revolution and bootcut jeans were introduced. Jean jackets also became a fashion trend during this period. Jackets and trousers together were called double denim.

1970s: Americana

This is the time when women joined the party. Farrah Fawcett and model Lauren Hutton made the jeans even cooler for the girls. Slim-fitting straighter leg jeans, denim skirts, cut-off shorts were on the boom.

1980s: Experiment with the Fabric

The experiment on the fabric brought a new dimension. Punks brought a marbling effect by washing their jeans with bleach. The style was used locally but later on, jeans brands introduced Denim with similar patterns. Bleach wash, stone wash, acid wash etc were being used by the brands to give a new look to the fabric. Ripped jeans and ‘tapered at the ankle’ trousers were also introduced in this era.

1990s: Big and Baggy

Denim fashion kept changing in the ’90s as well. The skinnier shapes changed into loose and casual ones. Hip-hop artists started to wear straight-legged, kind of lose trousers. High-waisted jeans with more relaxed fit came in fashion, named “Mom jeans”. Following the fashion, bigger and baggier jeans were introduced such as carpenter jeans with multiple pockets and tabs.

2000s: Get Low

Various types of jeans were already in the market and people had a big range of collections to choose from. However, the transformation of denim pants never stopped. Ultra low-rise jeans became popular following Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. With low-rise, bootcut styles were on-trend, too.

2010s: Resurgence

It was around 2010s and the retro styles reappeared. Jean trends like double denim, rompers came back to the closets. On the other hand, spandex denim was introduced which brought skinny jeans. Due to its stretching ability, the trousers made with such fabric were too skinny at the same time comfortable to wear during workday or weekend.

Present Day: Comfort and color

Denim fashion has faced many changes in the last 150 years and all of these have left a unique image of this particular type of garment. The trends in this era are skinnier and slim fit pants, medium to high-waisted jeans with straight or bootcut design. Multiple denim colors came into existence which received a remarkable response. Colorful denim gave people the option to diversify their attire and get out of orthodox blue color.

Fashion is bound to change and that’s because people change. People are influenced by culture, celebrities, social media etc. With time people’s perceptions also change. On the other hand, fashion designers and marketers bring new trends that change the whole plot. Because of such incidents, jeans have changed its form over end over again. If it was not done so, who can say? it could be extinct by now.