History and Contexts of Jeans - Assignment Example

Introduction Morning coffee, toast, and cereal have become so much a part of my life that I rarely stop to notice them, in a way they are extensions of my biological functions like breathing or going to the bathroom. However there is one product that seems even more significant than all those, which is with me virtually every moment I am awake, and that holds and contains me, protects me from the elements and enables me to feel comfortable and effortless stylish. These are my jeans, I have worn jeans ever since I out grew the soft cotton pants my parents clothed me in during my childhood. I had always admired my elder brothers and sister and thought how smart they were in their jeans, which for some reason were always blue or a shade of it; my main attraction to jeans has probably not changed since my pre-teen years. I could get into as much mischief as I wanted and they never really got very dirty, in addition no matter how many trees and fences I scaled on my knees, they always remained intact. Their universal functionality is remarkable; I can go to class in them, and when I am out for fun either hiking or mountain climbing they come in hardy, perfectly. Besides even when they get dirty, I do not have to rush them into the washing machine, indeed there are people who like them being dirty and its thing with them; so much so that fashion houses have come up with “dirty jeans” to give the impression of roughness, freedom. For purposes of this reflection assignment, I decided to stay away from these important items of clothing for a week to appreciate the vital role they played in my life; however, I faced a significant challenge. In my closet, I hardly had a single item of clothing that was not Demin or Levis, I had to settle for cotton, and corduroy pants that I only ever wore in case I had to attend very formal gatherings. Therefore, in order to gain a better understanding of my exercise, it would be beneficial to go first over the history and social significance of jeans from a universal point of view for some hindsight. History of Jeans At the peak of the gold rush in California in 1853, 24 year old German Levi Strauss, a refugee moved from New York to San Francisco with the aim of joining his brother in the dry goods business and opening a branch there (Downey, 2007). He arrived with a spade pick hammer and a bale of brown sail fabric that was intended to make tents and wagon covers; however, this did not go as he had planned; he identified a niche in the gold mining industry. He realized that the gold-miners clothes faded and worn out very fast and came up with a brilliant idea; he designed and produced a set of stout working trousers from the sailcloth material he had brought with him (Elder, 2013). He named these trousers half overalls and the workers were happy to buy them since they were more durable and could be worn in the rough conditions the miners worked in with minimum wear. Nevertheless, the miners complained that the pants were chaffing and levis changed from the sail cloth for a twilled cotton cloth from France known as serge de Nimes, this is the same fabric that in later years came to be known as Demin (Bellis, n.d). For years, Levis used indigo dye taken from plants in India and America, which brought the idea of blue jeans, which later became the most popular color for jeans although they were later dyed in myriad of colors. However, despite the strong nature of the jeans there was a problem with the pockets; they were not as strong as the rest of the pants and they often wore out and got ripped around the pocket areas. Thereafter, there was another interesting twist in the development of jeans, due to the contribution of another immigrant from Europe. A polish tailor who liked Levis was cashing in on the gold rush by supplying his services to the miners; the tailor called Jacob Youphes would amend the trousers using needle and thread and he soon noticed the most common tears were around the pockets. One day a customer suggested that he uses rivets instead of needle and thread, and this marked the birth of the trademark rivets that characterize most pairs of jeans to date. However, Youphes feared someone would steal his invention so he sought out to register a patent; nevertheless, he did not have the financial power to do this; thus, he reached out to the manufacturer of the pants he mended. Levis Strauss agreed to this and together they filed a patent to strengthen the pockets of the trousers using rivets, and Levis acquired a share of 50 percent. The year in which this patent signed was 1873 and after the inclusion of the rivets, the appearance of the jeans has not changed much over the course of two centuries; thus, 1873 often considered the year where jeans as we know them were officially born. Because of the stout nature of the trousers, they appealed to not only miners but also cowboys; their Spartan existence included hard living and riding and the tough pants were very appropriate (Denim, 1992). However, the trousers would quickly wear out at the crotch tip especially because of the hard riding; Levis decided to reinforce the trousers again by riveting the crotch tip. This did not go down well since cowboys often sat next to the fire and when the rivets got heated up, they often resulted uncomfortable moments; eventually this adjustment was abandoned. During the start of the 20th century, Levis waist overalls were the best working clothes in the western American states, however, they were limited to working men and most gentlemen would not deign to wear them (Lisa, 1996). However, with the emergence of Hollywood movies, depictions of authentic cowboys from the Wild West capture the American imagination, so much and they became synonymous with ideals of rugged individualism and social independence virtues that were only beginning to take root then. This was further fueled by the fact that, the heroes of the day such as Gary cooper and John Wayne were depicted in the early movies usually in jeans; advertising which was also beginning to find its place in American economics further fueled this craze. Americans from other parts who desired the true cowboy experience streamed to the dude ranches in California and bought their first pair and gradually jeans not only spread to all over America but also became acceptable clothing for all transcending social and economic confines (Weber, 2006). In the 50s, jeans had become extremely popular in America; however, there were controversies since many people did not think jeans were right for schools and some schools actually banned them in their premises. However there were even more people whom thought jeans were just right and at the end of the day majority of American schools and colleges came to accept them. After the World War 2, the rest of the world saw jeans for the first time and they were an instant het, they spread through the American soldiers who wore them in their off duty hours, (Kyi, 2005) and gradually levis opened branches in Europe and Asia. Furthermore, other companies were also manufacturing jeans and eventually jeans became and still they are some of the most universal item of clothing. Beginning 1950s to the present, jeans have been associated with the youth; novel ideas rebellion and individuality, from that point on America teens could and still join college wearing their day-to-day pants. Today jeans are worn by everyone form day laborers, priest to presidents (Debra 2000) they are considered great equalizers since at the end of the day despite the varying designs and prices, a pair of faded jeans is still just that. Jeans evolve so naturally that like wine they seem to improve with age, with very wash, they become more comfortable and it does not matter if they fade or not ultimately, a pair feels good like an old friend even after it has faded. Jeans have been described as cultural symbols by many American authors with one positing they were the archetype of universal individualism, a paradox, so much the same, yet so different for everyone. Despite the fact that most companies and offices do not allow their staff to report to work in jeans, the employees almost only wear jeans when they are not at work, traditionally even teens and youths would wear jeans expect to bed and to church. However, today many will rarely make this distinction and wear jeans everywhere including to religious setting unless the contrary is explicitly stated. Reflection Jeans express “individuality” of a person, thus, without jeans I looked different from most of my friends and that would ideally be the perfect definition of Individualism. However, personally the case was very different, as I felt out of place, and whenever I passed a mirrored building in the street, it took me a moment to recognize the reflection. Since I was used to wearing jeans 7 days a week, and used to take for granted the feeling of protection I got from them, however, wearing cotton trousers I became acutely aware of things jeans had removed from my concerns. I realized I could actually feel the wind in my legs when wearing ordinary cotton pants, this took quite some time getting used to, and this is when I realized the role jeans played in making me feel confident and invulnerable. With jeans, I could walk through grass at the park and mindlessly splash through puddles without a care since they would hardly get wet and the mud would often dry and fall off by the end of the day. With regular pants I had to mind my usual roughness since if I got them wet they would remain wet sticky and muddy, in a way I could say without jeans I lost some of my usual confidence. However, this did help me realize the jeans might have boosted the free spirit of the youths in the 50s and 60s, which are periods synonymous with social rebellion raging from the feminist, civil rights to the anti-war movements (Sullivan, 2006). It took a week without the luxury of jeans to understand how empowered the youths in those days must have felt especially many who begun to wear them in their teenage years. Wearing jeans gives you a feeling of confidence; you can jump over fences and walls without fear of ripping your pants or getting scratch on your knew, jeans not only symbolize freedom, they embody it. Without my jeans I felt closer to the elements in a not too comfortable way, in a way I had lost my normal sense of security, which had been so much a part of the trousers that I had forgotten why I wore them in the first place. As a matter of fact, I had imagined and am sure most people who have never had to do without them do; that I wore them simply because they were comfortable, strong and don’t easily get dirty. However, the reality is quite different, those of us who wear jeans on a fulltime basis do it simply because they contain us in a way no other fabric could, the secure and boost confidence and morale. Whenever I have to make an official presentation, I am often forced to dress formally; however, if I had my way I would do it in jeans because in a pair, my confidence would not waver in the least. Someday in the future I will probably work in a company that require I wear jeans to work, while will undoubtedly comply; I believe every evening and weekend like millions others around the world I will change back to jeans. This is because no matter how long one wears anything else, they will always be comfortable in jeans and wear them at any chance they get. References Debra, M. P. (2000). Blue demin. Country Living, 23, 55-56. Denim enters the `Jean-ological' times. (1992, Jun 12). The Salt Lake Tribune. Bellis.M. (n.d). Levi Strauss; The History of Blue Jeans.About.com. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventors/a/Levi_Strauss.htm Downey. L (2007). A Short History Of Denim. Levi Strauss & Co. Historian. Retrieved from http://www.levistrauss.com/sites/default/files/librarydocument/2010/4/History-Denim.pdf Weber, C. (2006) Me and My Calvins. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/books/review/20Weber.html?_r=0 Lisa Lystle Orange, C. R. (1996, May 26). Value of blue jeans not fading. Daily News. Sullivan, J. (2006). Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon. London: Penguin Group. Kyi, L, T. (2005). The Blue Jean Book: The Story Behind the Seams. Toronto: Annick Press. Elder, R. K. (2013, Jan 28). The california GOLD RUSH. New York Times Upfront, 145, 16-19. Read More