Americans Love Jeans
Denim has become a staple fashion item for Americans. Whether you’re a man, woman, young or old, you probably own at least one pair of jeans, if not several. According to a recent presentation made by Amir Akhtar, CEO of Arvind Lifestyle Fabrics, North America accounts for 39% of the global denim market, which is far more than any other region. The second biggest consumer of denim is Western Europe (20%), followed by Japan & Korea (10%), and the rest of the world (31%). This presentation attests to the time-honored American traditional of wearing denim.
Levi Strauss and The Gold Rush
Born February 26, 1829 in Buttenheim, Germany, Levi Strauss, is said to be the inventor of the blue jeans. The truthfulness of this statement, however, remains up for debate. What we do know about the iconic and influential founder of the renowned denim company Levi Strauss & Co. is that he started out selling clothes to hopeful prospectors during the California Gold Rush of 1848. The Strauss family moved out to west to open a dry goods store, which was an immediate hit among the locals and travelers alike. But the Strauss’ business took off when thousands of people from across the world began pouring in to California in hopes of finding gold. Levi and his family produced denim jeans, purses, combs, handkerchiefs and other dry goods which he sold to the prospectors during this time.
Jean-Gabriel Eynard Helped Coined The Term ‘Blue Jeans’
The term “blue jeans” has roots dating back more than two centuries. In the late 1700s, a Swiss banker named Jean-Gabriel Eynard traveled to Genoa, where he was entrusted with providing supplies to the Messena troops. Among other things, he cut up blue cloth to create make-shift uniforms for the soldiers, which Jean-Gabriel referred to as “”bleu de Genes.” I think it’s safe to say the term stuck, as denim pants are now known throughout the world as the derivative “blue jeans.”
It Takes a Lot of Water To Make Denim
It’s estimated that a standard pair of denim jeans requires approximately 900 gallons of water to produce. The denim fibers must be washed, re-washed, and re-re-washed several times to make it soft and pliable for use in jeans. Several companies, however, have begun to adapt new production techniques in an effort to reduce the amount of water required.
