The word denim sounds familiar to us, as if woven into our collective vocabulary. It is easily used, too often as a synonym for jeans, bringing to mind specific imagery ranging from American westerns to the slim jeans of the 1990s. Today, denim is widely used in the fashion industry, crafted into jeans and work jackets, as well as less traditional items like dresses, shoes, and bags. At Hast, we love denim when it is well made, and we have always used it for key pieces like overshirts and jackets. Here is a brief overview of its history and uses.
A brief history of a legendary fabric
It is not easy to pinpoint the exact first uses of denim fabric. However, its origins are generally traced back to the Italian city of Genoa during the 19th century, and later linked to a fabric made in the French city of Nîmes—hence the name "denim". Yet it was truly our American counterparts who popularised and developed denim. More specifically, Californian Levi Strauss, who marketed this fabric in San Francisco during the 1870s for American farmers and labourers. One of his customers, Jacob Davis, had the revolutionary idea of reinforcing the weaker seams of trousers with copper rivets—and jeans were born. Long popularised by cinema, the imagery of the Gold Rush, and western films, jeans quickly became a pop culture icon, a bad-boy staple, and the myth of all-American masculinity.
As our societies evolved, jeans found their way into various spheres and subcultures—shifting from the Wild West to streetwear and becoming a quintessential piece in the democratisation of clothing.
From Marlon Brando in The Wild One embodying the myth of Hollywood freedom, to American rap stars favouring baggy styles, through to the Woodstock hippies in torn attire, jeans have followed the history of our societies and their political and sociological events (the Gold Rush, the Vietnam War, the oil crises), just like many other iconic pieces such as the leather jacket.
Today, denim in the form of jeans is one of the most widely worn garments in the world. According to an Arte documentary by Thierry Aguila, there are more than 7 pairs of jeans per person worldwide. A symbol of modernity and comfort, then of sensuality in the 1990s (when the cut became closer to the body), this garment holds a unique symbolic power. Today, denim weave varies in quality and is no longer used solely for jeans or jackets, but across the entire contemporary wardrobe.
Technical characteristics and contemporary challenges
Denim is a cotton fabric, historically indigo-dyed, with a twill weave. Twill is one of the main weave patterns and features a diagonal effect easily recognisable to the naked eye.
It is a dyed textile that fades with wear, gradually revealing the white colour of the original cotton. This faded effect, along with the diagonal surface of the twill weave, gives denim garments a unique character: slightly rugged, yet distinctive and inherently cool. This fabric has been used since the 19th century, primarily for its durability. Originally, denim qualities made for very sturdy, heavy fabrics, worn by the working and farming classes as well as gold prospectors. The rise of fast fashion during the second half of the 20th century unfortunately encouraged the production of low-quality denim fabric with finer cotton yarns (a single yarn instead of three twisted together for high-quality fabrics), making them less durable (though cheaper to produce).
The United States, the world's leading denim producer, turned to mass production, using faster but less effective machines and discarding their weaving looms.
Japan, long fascinated by the American lifestyle since the end of the Second World War, decided to preserve denim craftsmanship by buying back the looms and developing gentle dyeing techniques. Japanese denims are now part of their great textile craftsmanship, with fabric weights that are rare today.
Denim remains one of the most popular fabrics, thanks to its symbolic power, endless cuts, and timeless casual style. Long washed using chemicals, denims are now aged—more and more, fingers crossed—using genuinely less polluting techniques such as ozone washing. Built on a rich heritage, denim will hopefully continue to rethink its industry to move towards low-impact production, whether through upcycling or improved recycling techniques.
