Jeans...

Jeans are trousers made from denim. Jeans, originally designed for work, became popular among teenagers starting in the 1950s. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee and Wrangler. Jeans come in various types, for example, skinny jeans, boot cut, or flare.

Jeans are now a very popular form of casual dress around the world, and have been so for decades. They come in many styles and colors; however, blue jeans are particularly identified with American culture, especially the American Old West. Americans spent more than $14 billion on jeans in 2004 and spent 15 billion in 2005.

And trousers, or pants, are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth stretching across both as in skirts and dresses). The word trousers is used near universally in the UK, but other English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United States often refer to such items of clothing as pants. Additional synonyms include slacks, strides, kegs or kex, breeches or breeks. Shorts are similar to trousers, but with legs that come down only to around the area of the knee, higher or lower than the knee depending on the style of the garment.

Evolution of the Garment

Initially, jeans were simply sturdy trousers worn by workers, especially in the factories during World War II. During this period, men's jeans had the zipper down the front, whereas women's jeans had the zipper down the right side. By the 1960s, both men's and women's jeans had the zipper down the front. Historic photographs indicate that in the decades before they became a staple of fashion, jeans generally fit quite loosely, much like a pair of bib overalls without the bib. Indeed, until 1960, Levi Strauss denominated its flagship product "waist overalls" rather than "jeans".

After James Dean popularized them in the movie Rebel Without a Cause, wearing jeans by teenagers and youth and/or young adults became a symbol of youth rebellion during the 1950s. Because of this, they were sometimes banned in theaters, restaurants and schools. Nowadays, however, jeans are worn to many types of venues and events, even some events that ostensibly require formal attire.

During the 1960s the wearing of jeans became more acceptable, and by the 1970s it had become general fashion in the United States for casual wear. The casual drug use of the era led to the addition of a "pill pocket" inside the right front pocket.

Michael Belluomo, editor of Sportswear International Magazine, Oct/Nov 1987, P. 45, wrote that in 1965, Limbo, a boutique in the New York East Village, was "the first retailer to wash a new pair of jeans to get a used, worn effect, and the idea became a hit." He continued, "[Limbo] hired East Village artists to embellish the jeans with patches, decals and other touches, and sold them for $200." In the 1970s the denim industry introduced the Stone-Washing technique developed by GWG also known as "Great Western Garment Co.". Donald Freeland of Edmonton, Alberta pioneered the method, which helped to bring denim to a larger and more versatile market. Acceptance of jeans continued through the 1980s and 1990s to the point where jeans are now a wardrobe staple, with the average North American owning seven pairs. Currently, jeans may be seen worn by people of all genders and ages.

A typical pair of blue jeans consumes 919 gallons of water during its life cycle (this includes the water to irrigate the cotton crop, manufacture the jeans, and the numerous washes by the consumer). Because cotton is the world's biggest nonfood crop, and water shortages are a growing global trend, some jean companies are looking into ways to reduce the amount of water needed in their production of jeans-from field to factory.