Sources
The Evolution of Jeans: From Workwear to Fashion Staple
hodgesmarion.com
·
1
From Workwear to Rebellion: A History of Jeans - Fabrics Galore
www.fabricsgalore.co.uk
·
2
History of Denim & the Origin of Jeans | Hawthorn
www.hawthornintl.com
·
3
The Evolution of Denim: From Workwear to Fashion Staple
www.rootsandroutesmag.com
·
4
Answer
Denim jeans have undergone a remarkable evolution from their origins as sturdy workwear to becoming a global fashion icon1234. The story of denim begins in the 1870s with the fabric's name derived from the French town of Nimes where it was first produced2.
In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented a revolutionary design of indigo-dyed denim trousers reinforced with copper rivets, making them incredibly durable for miners, cowboys, and laborers23. As Hollywood Westerns romanticized the cowboy figure in the 1920s-30s, jeans transitioned from purely practical attire to something associated with rugged masculinity2.
By the 1950s, jeans became a symbol of rebellion, especially among teenagers23. Marlon Brando and James Dean solidified the "bad boy" image associated with jeans in their iconic films2. The 1970s saw the birth of "designer denim" with Calvin Klein's campaigns featuring Brooke Shields2.
While denim has remained a fashion staple, the manufacturing process has evolved significantly5. Modern technology has brought variety in denim, with innovations in dyeing, weaving, and blending5. Sustainable practices are also becoming more prevalent, with brands using recycled materials and organic cotton2.
Today, denim is an integral part of everyday life, with most people owning multiple pairs of jeans5. Its popularity stems from its durability, versatility, and unique aesthetic characteristics that improve with age5. As we move forward, the future of denim will likely continue to embrace sustainability while maintaining its timeless appeal23.
References
1. The Evolution of Jeans: From Workwear to Fashion Staple2. From Workwear to Rebellion: A History of Jeans - Fabrics Galore3. History of Denim & the Origin of Jeans | Hawthorn4. The Evolution of Denim: From Workwear to Fashion Staple5. Evolution of denim - A deep insight from history - LinkedIn
Author: ameyecool
Key insights
- Overalls started as a protective garment for workers and slaves, then became a symbol of the civil rights movement, and finally a bold fashion statement in the 90s.
- 🤔 Clothes made from dungaree fabric were regarded as rough work clothes worn by those in low social classes.
- 🇺🇸 Overalls moved to America in the late 1700s and were initially worn by slaves, sharecroppers, and those in the military, symbolizing low social status.
- Custom tool pockets were added to overalls for pens, rulers, and other tools, making them a practical piece of clothing for the working class.
- As women took to manual labor during wartime, they started donning work clothes, including overalls, challenging traditional gender roles.
- Overalls helped bridge the gap between city-dwelling civil rights activists and those living in the south, spreading the message of a new era for civil rights.
- Overalls transformed from a symbol of oppression to an iconic element of mainstream fashion, embraced by the very communities that were judged for wearing them.
Video Full Text
- Hi everyone and welcome to the history of fashion. Today we're going to talk about a piece of utilitarian clothing with murky beginnings. What started out as a protective garment for workers and slaves then became a symbol of the civil rights movement and finally became a bold fashion statement in the 90s. Today we're going to look at the history of overalls overalls our garment consisting of trousers with a front flap over the chest held up by straps over the shoulders. They're typically made of sturdy material and worn especially as casual or working clothes. So this video I'm gonna break up into a couple different categories going through the history of overalls uh mainly in the west. So we're gonna start out in britain. The origins of overalls are murky at best several sources. I was able to find suggested that the classic bib overall was around by the time america was founded in 1776. However tracing it back further than this is much more challenging and involves some guesswork so to start with it's important to know that the common british term for north american overalls is dungarees.Read More
- Dungaree originally referred to a heavy durable fabric imported from an indian town known as dongri in the late 16th century. So they got this fabric from dongri. They basically just called the fabric that because they were like lazy I guess and um dondre was anglicized to dungaree and that's what the british knew. This fabric is so the british also used the word dungaree to describe celjda neem another fabric from the same era. This one from france celshanim is now known as denim or at least an early version of it. During this time clothes made from either type of dungaree fabric were regarded as rough work clothes worn by those in low social classes. While the word dungarees wouldn't refer to bib overalls for a few centuries.Read More
- It isn't a stretch to imagine that sometime in between the early 1600s to the late 1700s the first pair of bib overalls were created in britain likely from dungaree or denim fabric and that would kind of explain the name. They would later be given well when we first hear about them in writing and stuff. It seems like they're already sort of a well-known fabric like they're not explained. They're just referenced so uh it's not a huge stretch to think that they've been around for some time before they came to america. So uh in the late 1700s america was like officially founded. So this is when uh overalls moved over to america and we can kind of better trace the history as previously mentioned the first references to overalls that we see in literature date back to the late 18th century. These early writings imply that overalls were a protective garment worn primarily by slaves sharecroppers and those in the military. It's also clear that they were seen as a symbol of very low social status in everyday wear. Despite the stigma attached to them.Read More
- Their utility eventually was too great to be ignored over the following decades overall spread in popularity among the working class. Alongside this several improvements were made first. Darts were added. These are strategic tucks or folds to help provide shape to a garment. Additionally custom tool pockets were added. These would be for like pens rulers and other tools basically all this combined made them a great piece of clothing for the working class.Read More
- By the year 1850 overalls were being advertised and sold in catalogs as a perfect garment for working class men in any field. Also around this time different colors came to signify a person's trade well. At first. Most people wore white overalls because they could easily be bleached if they got dirty. By the mid 19th century. Painters were wearing white farmers were wearing blue or brown and railway. Workers wore various pinstripes. In the late 1910s to early 1920s. Overalls were briefly put into the spotlight as overall clubs cropped up around america. These clubs were in protest of the widespread profiteering going on in the clothing industry while this isn't a particularly well-known and it wasn't super effective or long-lived at the time. Even it was perhaps the first time that overalls were used as a symbol of protest and it would not be. The last also around this time as women took to manual labor while men went to war women started donning work clothes including overalls. So from the late 20s to the early 60s. Overalls were primarily still worn by farmers and manual laborers.Read More
- They did have occasional moments in the spotlight. You can find some catalogs of this sort of stuff but they still carry that negative social stigma overalls played a decently big role in the civil rights movement. The purpose during this time was threefold firstly. They were born as a practical garment as we all know denim is a very durable fabric. It could basically withstand the brutal crowd control methods that police used on protesters during this time. So these included attack dogs and high pressure hoses that would kind of rip through other clothing. Basically so people started wearing overalls just to protect their normal clothes. I mean up but fair enough. So secondly they were a reference to the sharecroppers and slaves who first wore them. This is basically because they were still seen as a garment for lower societal classes and they still carried their negative stigma. It was kind of a commentary on how little progress had been achieved. So the third and final reason they were kind of used. During this period was to help bridge the gap between the younger city dwelling members of the civil rights movement and those living in the south. Black americans living in the south were subjected to arguably the worst abuse in the country. At this time this was at no fault of their own. I have a great quote here from marlon komar. In her article. What the civil rights movement has to do with denim to register to vote as a black person was to risk losing your job or worse your life by inviting the klu klux klan to your backyard overalls and other denim clothing helped to spread the message of a new era for civil rights to southerners. In some ways they helped to form unity between black americans across the country.Read More
- Up until this point overalls had been used primarily as a tool first for production and utility and then as a symbol of oppression. However overalls would soon be thrust into the world of mainstream fashion beginning in the late 1980s but mostly in the 90s. The hip-hop scene embraced baggy overalls as part of their signature look. This paired with other bold pieces worn by the community helped push the larger-than-life in-your-face attitude of many of the stars of the scene. This is really when overalls change from being strictly a utilitarian garment to being a bold mainstream fashion piece. It's interesting to reflect on their history with this in mind. Originally a symbol of the lowest social status they had now been transformed to an iconic element of mainstream fashion by the very communities that were first wearing them and were judged for wearing. This low-class garment overalls probably reached their peak popularity. In this time the mid to late 90s but their meaning had been changed permanently. Today. They've seen a huge resurgence in popularity alongside many of the styles of the 90s. Personally. I doubt they'll ever reach the popularity of their cousin jeans. Jeans were originally called waist overalls but that's for another episode.Read More
- I don't doubt we'll. See overalls fade in and out of mainstream fashion for years into the future thanks for watching this episode on the history of overalls. I really enjoyed researching this one and I learned a lot about more than just overalls. I hope you enjoyed it as well please like share and subscribe. If you have the time I would really appreciate it. What would you like to hear me talk about next time. I've got a few awesome suggestions and I would love to hear more thanks everyone and I will talk to you soon.Read More