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' Denim’s been around for ages and is clearly here to stay. Katy McAulay has a cheeky look back at the fabric’s history and
reports on the latest fashions.
Pairs of jeans owned by Katy McAulay: 7. Number of American boys named
Denim: 7. International Levi Strauss day: 1 May. To reduce colour fade,
olah.com recommends washing your jeans inside out and adding a thimble of
vinegar to the wash.
No more schlepping
video shop
There's a Cider to SUlt every palate
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hen was the last titne you had to crawl down a mineshalt'.’ ()r lasso yottrsell' a cow'.’ Now think: when was the last time you wore a pair ol‘jeans'.’ In IUoZ. .'IIII(’I‘l(‘(lH fabrics maga/ine featured an article that claimed: ‘II' we were to rise a human term to describe a textile we might say that denim is an hottest fabric; substantial. forthright. and unpretentious.‘ So. how did metal-riveted work trousers designed for labourers and those rushing for gold in the \Nild West become ottr most popular Iashion staple. likely to be seen anywhere from the street corner to the red carpet'.’ .lorgen Andersson. marketing director oI’ I-I&M. which is launching a new collection of jeans called &denim this month. says: ‘A pair ot'jeans is the only kind of clothing where true feelings are involved.~ The promotional material that accompanies the brand’s launch. which will carry around I()() dil'l'erent ~ieans per season. claims there's a significant dilt‘erence between clothes and jeans: clothes come and go.
but your relationship with a layourite pair ol'jeans can last for years. So far. so vomit-worthy. but while the sentiment may reek ol marketing strategy. the lact that Il&.\l is prepared to launch a separate brand in order to get a slice of the denim pie currently gobbled by giants such as I.evi and (iap goes to show there must be some truth in it. In fact. knowing a selection of men who are willing to persevere with a particular pair despite some serious modesty concerns caused by wear and tear proves that there is detinitely a certain attachment eletnent to the material (and it's not lust that mistake with a safety pin). In denim's heyday probably around l‘)‘)5 the United States produced about I.I billion square yards of the stuff per year. It‘s a popularin that stretches back further than you might think: mummies It'om tombs dating from 2500 B(‘ have been I‘ound covered in indigo~dyed hemp fabrics. In actual fact. the direct origin ol‘ denim is unclear. A I‘abric called serge de 2 'imes can be traced back to pre- I 7th century Iirance. while another labric called jean was imported into Iingland l'rom Italy during the Hub century. However. the man who founded the most I'amous ol' denim brands was born I.oeb Strauss in IXZ‘). Perhaps surprisingly for a brand that has become such an American icon. Strauss was Bavarian. Alter travelling to America and heading west. hoping to make a fortune in the (‘alilornia gold rush. the renamed Levi Strauss tiled a patent for stitching work pants together with metal rivets in I873. The idea actually catne from a Nevada tailor. .lacob Davis. who wrote to Strauss about going into partnership. By the l‘)2()s. I.evi 'waist overalls’ were the top- selling work pants in America. although alter being adopted by movie stars such as .lolm Wayne alter World War II. the
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