THE

HISTORY
OF
DENIM
JEANS
BY EMILY THISTLETHWAITE
STUDENT NUMBER: 40090667
CREATIVE DIGITAL SKILLS
17TH DECEMBER 2021
 THE
BIRTH OF
JEANS
1873
“The brainchild of busi-
nessman Levi Strauss and
tailor Jacob Davis, blue
jeans combined metal
rivets to denim trousers
to create a durable uni-
form that stood up to the
rough-and-tumble work
of the 49ers. Workwear as
we knew it had been rev-
olutionized and would
never be the same” (The
History of Jeans, 2021).
 WILD
WESTERN

1920s “Jeans as workwear con-

tinued throughout the
1920s and 1930s, espe-
cially in the American
West among miners,
cowboys, and laborers.
But it wasn't until Hol-
lywood took this trend
to the silver screen with
its Western films that
jeans entered main-
stream culture” (The
History of Jeans, 2021).
 Cool
Blue

1950s
“Jeans became a sym-
bol of "cool" in the 1950s.
Pop culture bad boys
like James Dean and
Marlon Brando pop-
ularized cuffed, boxy
styles of denim as they
shook up the squares
in their films” (The His-
tory of Jeans, 2021).
 FLOWER
POWER
1960s
“Peace, love, and bellbot-
toms became the coun-
terculture anthem of
the 1960s. The youthful,
free-love movement em-
braced the casual blue
jean (bellbottoms and
low-rise hip-huggers,
especially), which rep-
resented freedom from
more structured cloth-
ing while also serving
as a form of creative
self-expression” (The
History of Jeans, 2021).
BIG AND
BAGGY

1990s
“Another style that
caught on was all about
drowning in denim (JNCO
jeans, anyone?). The
bigger and baggier, the
better. Carpenter jeans,
with multiple pockets
and tabs, and head-to-
toe denim ensembles,
were super trendy, as
well as denim overalls
and shortalls” (The His-
tory of Jeans, 2021).
 PRESENT
DAY

2021 “There is a gravitation

toward a looser fit, where
comfort doesn't come at
the cost of fashion (and
vice versa). Medium to
high-waisted jeans with
either a straight or boot
cut are on-trend, a well
as wider-legged styles—
sometimes cropped, oth-
er times not. And let's not
forget the modern move-
ment toward shopping
locally and sustainably,
opting for smaller, inde-
pendent denim brands—
including eco-friendly
denim lines” (The His-
tory of Jeans, 2021).
CROPPED, CULOTTE, COMFORT
 REFERENCES
PAGE 1:
(2021) Patterned Patchwork Cowboy Wallpaper Denim. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://
www.picgaga.com/textures/denim [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 2:
(2018) LEVI’S MADE & CRAFTED AND POGGY DEBUT VINTAGE WORKWEAR-INFUSED CAP-
SULE. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/levis-made-and-craft-
ed-poggytheman-fw18-capsule/ [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 3:
(2021) Levis Strauss Jeans. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.levistrauss.com/ [Ac-
cessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 4:
Alamy, (2019) Gary Cooper. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.vogue.fr/fashion/article/
vogue-encyclopaedia-the-history-of-denim-jeans [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 5:
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, (2019) Leo Carrillo. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://
www.levistrauss.com/2019/10/16/levis-hollywood-westerns/ [Accessed 30 November
2021].

PAGE 6:
Features, R., (2019) James Dean. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.vogue.fr/fashion/
article/vogue-encyclopaedia-the-history-of-denim-jeans [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 7:
Getty, I., (2017) James Dean. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://uproxx.com/style/
blue-jeans-history/ [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 8
Tiger, E., (2021) Flower Power Kick Flare Jeans. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://shopeasy-
tiger.com/products/kick-flower-flare [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 9:
Tiger, E., (2021) Flower Power Kick Flare Jeans. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://shopeasy-
tiger.com/products/kick-flower-flare [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 10:
Skorpse, (2021) Snake Eyes Wide Leg Jeans. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.depop.
com/products/skorpse-snake-eyes-brand-cool-super/ [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 11:
Berthelot, E., (2021) Wide Leg Balloon Fit Dad Jeans. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.
glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/best-baggy-jeans [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 12:
Project, Y., (2021) Light-Wash Straight-Leg Jeans. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://
wearzeitgeist.com/runway/denim-trends-2021 [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 13:
(2021) Mom Jeans. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://thejeansblog.com/denim-trends/5-on-
trend-denim-styles-for-autumn-2021/ [Accessed 30 November 2021].

PAGE 14:
(2021) Patterned Patchwork Cowboy Wallpaper Denim. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://
www.picgaga.com/textures/denim [Accessed 30 November 2021].

‘The History of Jeans: A Detailed Look at Denim Over the Decades’. 2021. Byrdie [online].
Available at: https://www.byrdie.com/the-history-of-jeans-2040397 [accessed 29 Nov
2021].
THE
HISTORY
OF
DENIM
JEANS
BY EMILY THISTLETHWAITE
THE BIRTH
OF JEANS
“The brainchild of business-
man Levi Strauss and tailor
Jacob Davis, blue jeans com-
bined metal rivets to denim
trousers to create a durable
uniform that stood up to the
rough-and-tumble work of the
49ers. Workwear as we knew
it had been revolutionized
and would never be the same”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
1873 1920 1950
FLOWER
POWER
“Peace, love, and bellbot-
toms became the counter-
culture anthem of the 1960s.
The youthful, free-love move-
ment embraced the casual
blue jean (bellbottoms and
low-rise hip-huggers, espe-
cially), which represented
freedom from more struc-
tured clothing while also
serving as a form of crea-
tive self-expression” (The
History of Jeans, 2021).
1960 1990 2021
BIG AND
BAGGY
“Another style that caught
on was all about drowning
in denim (JNCO jeans, any-
one?). The bigger and bag-
gier, the better. Carpenter
jeans, with multiple pock-
ets and tabs, and head-to-toe
denim ensembles, were su-
per trendy, as well as den-
im overalls and shortalls”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
PRESENT
DAY
“There is a gravitation toward
a looser fit, where comfort
doesn’t come at the cost of
fashion (and vice versa). Me-
dium to high-waisted jeans
with either a straight or boot
cut are on-trend, a well as wid-
er-legged styles—sometimes
cropped, other times not. And
let’s not forget the modern
movement toward shopping
locally and sustainably, opt-
ing for smaller, independ-
ent denim brands—includ-
ing eco-friendly denim lines”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
 THE
BIRTH
THE OF
HISTORY JEANS
OF 1973 “The brainchild of business-
man Levi Strauss and tailor
Jacob Davis, blue jeans com-

DENIM
bined metal rivets to denim
trousers to create a durable
uniform that stood up to the
rough-and-tumble work of the
49ers. Workwear as we knew
it had been revolutionized
and would never be the same”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
 COOL
BLUE
“Jeans became a symbol of

1950
“cool” in the 1950s. Pop cul-
ture bad boys like James
Dean and Marlon Brando pop-
ularized cuffed, boxy styles
of denim as they shook up
the squares in their films”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
 WILD
WEST
“Jeans as workwear contin-

1920
ued throughout the 1920s
and 1930s, especially in the
American West among min-
ers, cowboys, and labor-
ers. But it wasn’t until Hol-
lywood took this trend to
the silver screen with its
Western films that jeans en-
tered mainstream culture”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
 FLOWER
POWER
“Peace, love, and bellbot-

1960
toms became the countercul-
ture anthem of the 1960s. The
youthful, free-love movement
embraced the casual blue
jean (bellbottoms and low-
rise hip-huggers, especially),
which represented freedom
from more structured cloth-
ing while also serving as a form
of creative self-expression”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
 BIG
AND
BAGGY
“Another style that caught

1990
on was all about drowning
in denim (JNCO jeans, any-
one?). The bigger and bag-
gier, the better. Carpenter
jeans, with multiple pock-
ets and tabs, and head-to-toe
denim ensembles, were su-
per trendy, as well as den-
im overalls and shortalls”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).
 PRESENT
DAY

2021
“There is a gravitation toward
a looser fit, where comfort
doesn’t come at the cost of
fashion (and vice versa). Me-
dium to high-waisted jeans
with either a straight or boot
cut are on-trend, a well as wid-
er-legged styles—sometimes
cropped, other times not. And
let’s not forget the modern
movement toward shopping
locally and sustainably, opt-
ing for smaller, independ-
ent denim brands—includ-
ing eco-friendly denim lines”
(The History of Jeans, 2021).