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{{Short description|Pants/trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth}}
{{redirect|Blue Jeans||Blue Jeans (disambiguation)|and|Jeans (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
[[File:jeans.jpg|thumb|A pair of jeans]]
[[File:Blue_jeans_fading.png|thumb|right|Microscopic image of faded fabric]]

'''Jeans''' are a type of [[trousers]] made from [[denim]] or [[Dungaree (fabric)|dungaree]] cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by [[Jacob W. Davis]] in 1871<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://museums.nevadaculture.org/dmdocuments/mus-let37.pdf |title=A Nevada Stylist: Your Denim Jeans Are a Nevada Invention |author-last=Loverin |author-first=Jan |journal=Nevada State Museum Newsletter |volume=36 |issue=3 |page=4 |date=2006 |access-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429105158/http://museums.nevadaculture.org/dmdocuments/mus-let37.pdf |archive-date=April 29, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and patented by Davis and [[Levi Strauss]] on May 20, 1873. Prior to the patent, the term "blue jeans" had been long in use for various items of workwear (including trousers, overalls, and coats), constructed from a heavy blue-colored denim fabric.<ref>See, e.g., The Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, VA) March 25, 1823, wherein a paid notice described the ready-made apparel stolen by a thief : FIFTY DOLLARS REWARD, FOR JEREMIAH, or as he is commonly called Jerry Hatcher, lately a convict of the Penitentiary, who on the night of February 17 last did break through my store and carry off a variety of goods, together with about $20 in change and some ready made clothing, and has made his escape. He is about 4 1/2 or 5 feet high, stout and very well made, with light hair, and I expect has on blue Jeans coatee and brown pantaloons, as he took such from me and has been seen with them on. I expect he is either in Richmond, Petersburg or Lynchburg. Any person who will apprehend said Hatcher and deliver him to me, will meet with my thanks, and the above reward. BRIGHTBERRY BROWN [,] Red Mills, Buckingham [County, Virginia], March 14.</ref>

Originally these trousers were designed as attire for manual workers such as [[miner]]s for whom rivets were added to strengthen pocket seams in the [[United States]], these modern riveted blues jeans as a fashion item were popularized as casual wear by [[Marlon Brando]] and [[James Dean]] in their 1950s films, particularly ''[[The Wild One]]'' and ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://amuse.vice.com/en_us/article/pa5dx8/history-of-denim-jeans |title=The fascinating, tumultuous history of a fashion classic |website=Vice |date=December 12, 2019 |access-date=September 15, 2019 |archive-date=July 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708192529/https://amuse.vice.com/en_us/article/pa5dx8/history-of-denim-jeans |url-status=dead }}</ref> leading to the fabric becoming a symbol of rebellion among teenagers, especially members of the [[Greaser (subculture)|greaser]] subculture. From the 1960s onwards, jeans became common among various youth subcultures and subsequently young members of the general population. Nowadays, they are one of the most popular types of trousers in [[Western culture]]. Historic brands include [[Levi Strauss & Co.|Levi's]], [[Lee (jeans)|Lee]], and [[Wrangler (jeans)|Wrangler]].

== History ==
===Fabric ===
[[File:Manifattura genovese, abito da festa in tela di genova (jeans), 1850-1900 ca..JPG|thumb|180px|A traditional women's Genoese dress in "blue jeans" (1890s). [[Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria]], [[Genoa]], Italy.]]

[[Indigo dye#History|Indigo dyed]] cotton textiles have been produced and traded from India for millenia, the textiles becoming known, in the 18th century, as ‘''blue goods''’ in English, or ‘''guinée''’ in French, and were a core trade good of the Indian Ocean, and Atlantic slave trades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Textiles in the Slave Trade |url=https://eenigheid.slavenhandelmcc.nl/trajecten-van-de-reis-en/afrika-en/samenstelling-cargazoen/textiel-slavenhandel/?lang=en |access-date=2026-02-10 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kobayashi |first=Kazuo |date=2013-06-27 |title=Indian cotton textiles in the eighteenth-century Atlantic economy - Africa at LSE |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2013/06/27/indian-cotton-textiles-in-the-eighteenth-century-atlantic-economy/ |access-date=2026-02-09 |website=Africa at LSE - LSE’s engagement with Africa}}</ref> Nearly all [[indigo]], needed for dyeing, came from indigo bush plantations in India, until replaced by indigo synthesis methods developed in Germany in 1878.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ingenious.org.uk/site.asp?s=RM&Param=1&SubParam=1&Content=1&ArticleID=%7BCBDF1082-9F5C-498F-A769-B33A7DA83B30%7D&ArticleID2=%7B3C4444FC-FC4D-4498-B0B4-8B8A47C5BA76%7D&MenuLinkID=%7BA54FA022-17E2-483C-B937-DEC8B8964C33%7D |title=The synthesis of indigo |publisher=Ingenious.org.uk |access-date=October 28, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084155/http://www.ingenious.org.uk/site.asp?s=RM&Param=1&SubParam=1&Content=1&ArticleID=%7BCBDF1082-9F5C-498F-A769-B33A7DA83B30%7D&ArticleID2=%7B3C4444FC-FC4D-4498-B0B4-8B8A47C5BA76%7D&MenuLinkID=%7BA54FA022-17E2-483C-B937-DEC8B8964C33%7D |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref>

Research on the trade of jean fabric shows that it emerged in the city of [[Genoa]], Italy, in the 16th century, followed by [[Nîmes]], France, in the 17th century. Genoa's jeans fabric was a [[fustian]] textile of "medium quality and of reasonable cost", very similar to cotton [[corduroy]] for which Genoa was famous, and was "used for work clothes in general". The [[Genoese navy]] equipped its sailors with jeans, as they needed a fabric that could be worn wet or dry. Gênes, the French word for Genoa, is the origin of the word "[[Wikt:jeans|jeans]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jean - Etymology, Origin & Meaning of the Name |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Jean |access-date=2026-05-07 |website=etymonline |language=en-US}}</ref> In Nîmes, weavers tried to reproduce jean fabric but instead developed a similar [[twill]] fabric that became known as denim, "''de Nîmes"'', meaning "from Nîmes".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qy4YtuIHsQcC&pg=PA235 |title=Transnationalism and Society: An Introduction |author-last=Howard |author-first=Michael C. |date=2011 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-78648625-0 |access-date=August 14, 2017 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231026064304/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qy4YtuIHsQcC&pg=PA235#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/jeans.htm |title=Jeans |website=facweb.cs.depaul.edu |access-date=August 14, 2017 |archive-date=June 19, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170619115433/http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/jeans.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nîmes's "denim" was coarser, considered higher quality, and was used "for over garments such as smocks or overalls".<ref name="Gruber_2010" />{{rp|page=23}} In 1576, a quantity of "jean fustians" arrived into the port of Barnstaple on a vessel from Bristol.<ref>{{cite news |author=National Archives |title=Import and Export books for the Port of Barnstaple |date=February 18, 1576 |id=E 190/930/5}}</ref> 

[[File:Closeup of copper rivet on jeans.jpg|thumb|left|Copper [[rivet]]s for reinforcing pockets are a characteristic feature of blue jeans.]]
By the 17th century, jean was a crucial textile for working-class people in Northern Italy. This is seen in a series of genre paintings from around the 17th century attributed to an artist now referred to as the Master of the Blue Jeans.<ref name="Gruber_2010"/>{{rp|page=10}} The ten paintings depict impoverished scenes with lower-class figures wearing a fabric that looks like denim. The fabric would have been Genoese jean, which was cheaper. [[Genre painting]] came to prominence in the late 16th century, and the non-nobility subject matter in all ten paintings places them among others that portray similar scenes.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Welch |author-first=Evelyn |title=Shopping in the Renaissance: Consumer Cultures in Italy 1400–1600 |date=2005 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |page=44}}</ref>

[[Dungaree (fabric)|Dungaree]], a type of fabric, was mentioned for the first time in 1613,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saris |first=John |url=http://archive.org/details/voyageofcaptainj00saririch |title=The voyage of Captain John Saris to Japan, 1613 |last2=Satow |first2=Ernest Mason |date=1900 |publisher=London : Printed for the Hakluyt Society |others=University of California Libraries}}</ref> when it was referred to as coarse calico cloth, often colored blue but sometimes bleached white, worn by impoverished workers in what was then a region of [[Bombay]], India a dockside village called Dongri. This cloth was "dungri" in [[Hindi]]. Dungri was exported to England and used for manufacturing of cheap, robust working clothes such as [[overalls]]. In English, the word "dungri" became pronounced as "dungaree".<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofjeans.com/jeans-history/history-of-dungaree-fabric/ |title=Origin and History of Dungaree Fabric |author-last=William |author-first=Carrie |date=September 3, 2017 |publisher=Historyofjeans.com |access-date=October 28, 2015 |archive-date=November 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125084250/http://www.historyofjeans.com/jeans-history/history-of-dungaree-fabric/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was used by utility workers of the US Navy throughout World War I.<ref name=":0" /> Dungaree was replaced with [[denim]], a textile named after the [[Nîmes]], that gained popularity after being manufactured by [[Jacob W. Davis]].

=== Rivets ===
{{multiple image
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The term ''jeans'' appears first in 1795, when a Swiss banker by the name [[Jean-Gabriel Eynard]] and his brother Jacques went to Genoa and both were soon heading a flourishing commercial concern. In 1800 [[Massena]]'s troops entered the town and Jean-Gabriel was entrusted with their supply. In particular he furnished them with uniforms cut from blue cloth called "bleu de Genes" whence later derives the famous garment known worldwide as "blue jeans".<ref name="Sullivan_2006"/>

[[Levi Strauss]], as a young man in 1851, went from Germany to New York to join his older brothers who ran a goods store. In 1853, he moved to San Francisco to open his own dry goods business. [[Jacob Davis (inventor)|Jacob Davis]] was a tailor who often bought bolts of cloth from the [[Levi Strauss & Co]]. wholesale house. In 1872, Davis wrote to Strauss asking to partner with him to patent and sell clothing reinforced with [[rivet]]s.<ref name="Downey_2007">{{cite web |author-last=Downey |author-first=Lynn |date=2007 |publisher=official Levi Strauss & Co. historian |url=http://eled3140spring2014.wikispaces.com/file/view/History-Denim.pdf |title=A Short History of Denim |access-date=June 2, 2014 |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809162800/http://eled3140spring2014.wikispaces.com/file/view/History-Denim.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The copper rivets were to reinforce the points of stress, such as pocket corners and at the bottom of the button fly. Strauss accepted Davis's offer,<ref>Wagman-Gellar, Marlene (2010). [https://books.google.com/books?id=IvRg_38ToLQC&pg=PT17 ''Eureka!: The Surprising Stories Behind the Ideas That Shaped the World''], Eureka #3 (1871) (unpaginated). Penguin Group (USA), Inc. Retrieved October 2, 2011.</ref> and the two men received US patent No. 139,121 for an "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings" on May 20, 1873.<ref>{{US patent|139121}}</ref>
[[File:Photo étiquette Levi's 501.jpg|thumb|The classic label for Levi 501 jeans]]

Davis and Strauss experimented with different fabrics. An early attempt was brown [[cotton duck]], a bottom-weight fabric.{{efn|Bottom weight fabric is a heavier fabric suitable for pants or skirts (a.k.a. bottoms). Not necessarily a thick or heavy fabric but heavier than something that would be used to make a blouse or shirt.}} Finding denim a more suitable material for work-pants, they began using it to manufacture their riveted pants. The denim used was produced by an American manufacturer. Popular legend incorrectly states that it was imported from Nîmes. A popular myth is that Strauss initially sold brown canvas pants to miners, later dyed them blue, turned to using denim, and only after Davis wrote to him, added rivets.<ref name="Downey_2007"/>

Initially, Strauss's jeans were simply sturdy trousers worn by [[working class|factory workers]], miners, farmers, and cattlemen throughout the North American West.<ref>{{cite journal |author-last=Hobson |author-first=John |date=July 1, 2013 |title=To die for? The health and safety of fast fashion |journal=Occupational Medicine |language=en |volume=63 |issue=5 |pages=317–319 |doi=10.1093/occmed/kqt079 |pmid=23837074 |issn=0962-7480 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/history-of-blue-jeans-zmaz90jazshe |title=A History Of Blue Jeans: From Miners' Wear to American Classic |work=Mother Earth News |access-date=March 17, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316055105/http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/history-of-blue-jeans-zmaz90jazshe |url-status=live }}</ref> During this period, men's jeans had the [[Fly (clothing)|fly]] down the front, whereas women's jeans had the fly down the left side.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.livingneworleans.com/?p=11550 |title=Style: August 2015 |work=New Orleans Living Magazine |access-date=March 17, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=March 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317144125/http://www.livingneworleans.com/?p=11550 |url-status=live }}</ref> When [[Levi Strauss & Co.]] patented the modern, mass-produced prototype in 1873, there were two pockets in the front and a patch pocket on the back right reinforced with copper rivets.<ref name="Sullivan_2006"/> The small riveted watch pocket was first added by Levi Strauss to their jeans in the late 1870s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insider.com/small-pocket-pants-jeans-watch-2018-03 |title=Small pocket on your pants and jeans: Here's what it's for – Insider |website=[[Insider.com]] |access-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026064304/https://www.insider.com/small-pocket-pants-jeans-watch-2018-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===20th century evolution===
In 1901, Levi Strauss added the back left pocket to their 501 model.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.levistrauss.com/2017/01/12/pockets-full-history/ |title=Pockets Full of History – Levi Strauss & Co |date=January 12, 2017 |access-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-date=June 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619161152/https://www.levistrauss.com/2017/01/12/pockets-full-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This created the now familiar and industry-standard five-pocket configuration with two large pockets and small watch pocket in front with two pockets on the rear.

The popularity of "waist overalls", as jeans were sometimes called, expanded during [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Schellinger | first=A. | title=Aircraft Nose Art: American, French and British Imagery and Its Influences from World War I through the Vietnam War | publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-4766-1932-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oV7TCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 | access-date=January 29, 2024 | page=82}}</ref> 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 [[overall|bib overalls]] without the bib. Indeed, until 1960, Levi Strauss called its flagship product "waist overalls" rather than "jeans".

After [[James Dean]] popularized them in the movie ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'', wearing jeans became a symbol of youth rebellion during the 1950s.<ref>{{cite news |author-first1=Lauren |author-last1=Cochrane |author-first2=Helen |author-last2=Seamons |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/apr/18/james-dean-an-enduring-influence-on-modern-fashion |title=James Dean: an enduring influence on modern fashion &#124; Fashion |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=October 28, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923180248/http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/apr/18/james-dean-an-enduring-influence-on-modern-fashion |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[[Anna Schober|Schober, Anna]] (2001). Blue Jeans. Vom Leben in Stoffen und Bildern. Frankfurt/ New York: Campus.</ref> 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.<ref name="Smith_2003">{{cite book |author-last=Smith |author-first=Nancy MacDonell |title=The Classic Ten: poella grande y gruesa The True Story of the Little Black Dress and Nine Other Fashion Favorites |date=2003 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-200356-5 |page=42 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hCap5dsIJiAC&pg=PT42 |access-date=January 13, 2011 |archive-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026073749/https://books.google.com/books?id=hCap5dsIJiAC&pg=PT42 |url-status=live }}</ref> In Japan in 1977, a professor of [[Osaka University]] Philip Karl Pehda chastised a female student wearing jeans in the classroom. Then he was protested by the students, and a controversy arose in the country.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://mmis.hkpl.gov.hk/coverpage/-/coverpage/view?_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_hsf=%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_actual_q=%28%20verbatim_dc.collection%3A%28%22Old%5C%20HK%5C%20Newspapers%22%29%20%29%20AND+%28%20%28%20allTermsMandatory%3A%28true%29%20OR+all_dc.title%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.creator%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.contributor%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.subject%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+fulltext%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.description%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20%29%20%29&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_sort_field=score&p_r_p_-1078056564_c=QF757YsWv5%2BaFKLr9PBvgILoEa3mihLU&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_o=11&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_sort_order=desc |title=女生七嘴八舌嚷「解放」 老教授硬是不准入課堂 |language=zh |date=May 27, 1977 |work=The Kung Sheung Daily News |access-date=February 25, 2019 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044425/https://mmis.hkpl.gov.hk/coverpage/-/coverpage/view?_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_hsf=%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_actual_q=%28%20verbatim_dc.collection%3A%28%22Old%5C%20HK%5C%20Newspapers%22%29%20%29%20AND+%28%20%28%20allTermsMandatory%3A%28true%29%20OR+all_dc.title%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.creator%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.contributor%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.subject%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+fulltext%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20OR+all_dc.description%3A%28%E7%89%9B%E4%BB%94%E8%A4%B2%29%20%29%20%29&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_sort_field=score&p_r_p_-1078056564_c=QF757YsWv5%2BaFKLr9PBvgILoEa3mihLU&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_o=11&_coverpage_WAR_mmisportalportlet_sort_order=desc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20110409_17067.html |title=大阪大学講師 過去にジーンズ姿の女子大生の受講を拒否 |date=April 9, 2011 |language=ja |work=NEWSポストセブン |access-date=October 9, 2020 |archive-date=June 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630025326/http://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20110409_17067.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Examples of intentional denim distressing strictly to make them more fashionable can be seen as early as 1935 in Vogue's June issue.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/de-nimes-000413-v20n2/ |title=De Nimes |website=vice.com |date=March 11, 2013 |access-date=May 30, 2017 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026064306/https://www.vice.com/en/article/5gw8dd/de-nimes-000413-v20n2 |url-status=live }}</ref>  Michael Belluomo, editor of ''Sportswear International Magazine'', Oct/Nov 1987, p.&nbsp;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 early 1980s the denim industry introduced the [[Stonewashed jeans|stone-washing]] technique developed by GWG also known as "Great Western Garment Co." Donald Freeland of [[Edmonton, Alberta]], pioneered the method,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.levisbluejeans.com/Numbers/welcome.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508055136/http://www.levisbluejeans.com/Numbers/welcome.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 8, 2009 |title=Levi's By the Numbers (Men's) |publisher=Worldflow Knowledge |access-date=December 31, 2010}}</ref> which helped to bring denim to a larger and more versatile market. Acceptance of jeans continued through the 1980s and 1990s. Originally a utilitarian garment, jeans became a common fashion choice in the second half of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jean genie: The denim evolution |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150401-jean-genie-the-denim-evolution |author-first=Katya |author-last=Foreman |date=April 1, 2015 |access-date=May 29, 2016 |archive-date=April 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425113743/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150401-jean-genie-the-denim-evolution |url-status=live }}</ref>

Levi' 501s are featured prominently in the chapter on trousers in the 1987 book ''A Gentleman's Wardrobe: Classic Clothes and the Modern Man'' by British fashion journalist Paul Keers.<ref>{{cite book |last= Keers|first= Paul|date= 1987|title= A Gentleman's Wardrobe: Classic Clothes and the Modern Man|url= |location= London|publisher= Weidenfeld & Nicolson|page= 56-57|isbn= 9780297791911|access-date=}}</ref>

=== 21st century development ===
In 2001, Japanese fashion designer [[Chuck Roaste]] secured a United States [[utility patent]] for a reversible jeans construction concept he had been developing since 1998.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Malone |first=Scott |date=February 19, 2004 |title=Chuck Roaste's New 'Guru' |url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/denim-dish-chuck-roaste-s-new-guru-galey-still-in-red-valley-connects-the-dot-696964/ |journal=WWD |volume=187 |issue=35 |pages=9}}</ref> Produced under the Chuck Roaste label, the design incorporated functional, fully reversible construction elements, including pockets, fly, seams, fasteners, and other structural details that enabled the garments to be worn inside out.<ref name=":1" />

In 2007, ''[[Details (magazine)|Details]] Men's Style Manual'' devoted a chapter to jeans, saying, "Now that jeans have become more acceptable cocktail-hour attire, you should probably own more than one pair." Calling Levi's 501s "an icon from the moment they were introduced," and "the quintessential pair of jeans," the guidebook calls the standard straight leg design, "a classic clean-cut ''[[American Graffiti]]'' look."<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last= Peres|editor-first= Daniel|editor-link= Dan Peres|title= Jeans|encyclopedia= Details Men's Style Manual|year= 2007|last= |first= |publisher= Gotham Books|location= New York|isbn= 9781592403288|pages= 132–139}}</ref>

== Manufacturing processes ==

=== Dyeing ===
{{See also|Azo dye}}
[[Image:Indigo skeletal.svg|thumb|Chemical structure of [[indigo dye]], the blue of blue jeans]]

Traditionally,{{Vague|reason=This isn't a question of "tradition". We should be able to get a date, e.g., "until 1875, most jeans were dyed with natural indigo" or whatever|date=March 2023}} jeans were [[dye]]d to a blue color using natural [[indigo dye]]. Most denim is now dyed using synthetic indigo. Approximately 20&nbsp;thousand tons of indigo are produced annually for this purpose, though only a few grams of the dye are required for each pair.<ref name="Steingruber_2004">{{cite book |author-first=Elmar |author-last=Steingruber |chapter=Indigo and Indigo Colorants |title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |date=2004 |publisher=[[Wiley-VCH]] |location=Weinheim, Germany |doi=10.1002/14356007.a14_149.pub2|isbn=3527306730 }}</ref> For other colors of denim other dyes must be used. Currently, jeans are produced in any color that can be achieved with cotton.

For more information on dyeing, refer to [[denim#Dyeing|denim]] and the discussion there of using pigment dyes.

=== Pre-shrinking ===
[[File:Group at Piazza del Popolo, Rome.jpg|thumb|left|Crowd of people wearing a variety of jean styles, including [[carpenter jeans]], [[bootcut jeans]], [[drainpipe jeans]] and [[Low-rise jeans|lowrise jeans]] (Rome, 2008)]]

In 1962, Levi Strauss introduced their own pre-shrunk jeans (Lee and Wrangler jeans had already long been pre-shrunk); these did not shrink further after purchase, allowing the consumer to purchase a correctly fitting size. Pre-shrink is common in jeans nowadays.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.levistrauss.com/sites/levistrauss.com/files/librarydocument/2012/8/2012-company-timeline-short.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009083805/http://levistrauss.com/sites/levistrauss.com/files/librarydocument/2012/8/2012-company-timeline-short.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 9, 2012 |title=Levi Strauss & Co. Timeline |access-date=November 23, 2012}}</ref> These jeans were known as the 505 regular fit jeans. The 505s are almost identical to the 501s with the exception of the button-fly. The Levi's Corporation also introduced a slim boot-cut fit known as 517 and 527. The difference between the two is that the 517s sit at the waist line and the 527s sit below the waist line. Later, Levi's would develop other styles and fits such as the loose, slim, comfort, relaxed, skinny, and a regular fit with a tapered leg.

=== Used and distressed looks ===
[[File:Reagan_with_horse.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ronald Reagan]] wearing stonewash denim associated with [[Western clothing]], 1970s]]

A significant amount of the aesthetic treatment of jeans may occur after the denim has been cut and sewn into the final garment. Many denim articles are washed to make them softer and to reduce or minimize [[Shrinkage (fabric)|shrinkage]] even beyond what sanforization prevents. Significantly washed denim can resemble dry denim which has faded naturally over extended use. Such distressing may be supplemented by chemical treatments or physical techniques such as [[stone washing]].

The used or "[[Stone washing|acid wash]]" look is created by means of abrading the jeans or treating them with chemicals, such as acryl resin, phenol, a hypochlorite, potassium permanganate, caustic soda, acids etc.<ref>''Der Preis der Bluejeans'' documentary by Studio Hamburg 2012</ref>

Ripping or [[distressing]] of jeans, though also arising naturally as a result of wear and tear, is sometimes deliberately performed by suppliers—with distressed clothing sometimes selling for more than a nondistressed pair. For example, [[Emilio Pucci|Pucci]] sold "embellished mid-rise boyfriend jeans" for £600 (US$860).<ref>{{cite news |title=Am I too old for ... ripped jeans? |author-first=Laura |author-last=Craik |newspaper=[[The Times]] |page=11 |date=March 8, 2014 |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article4021673.ece |access-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-date=July 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729194903/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article4021673.ece |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Changes in appearance due to use====
Over time dry denim will fade, which is considered fashionable in some circumstances. During the process of wear, fading will usually occur on those parts of the article that receive the most stress. On a pair of jeans, this includes the upper thighs, the ankles, and the areas behind the knees. Patterns of fading in jeans caused by prolonged periods of wear include:
* honeycombs – meshes of faded line-segments that form behind the knees
* whiskers – faded streaks that form radially from the crotch area
* stacks – irregular bands of fading above the ankle caused by accordioning of the fabric due to contact with the foot or shoe<ref name="Shapira2016"/>
* train tracks – fading along the out-seams due to abrasion<ref name="Shapira2016">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/denim-jeans-guide/|title=The Denim Jeans Guide — Gentleman's Gazette|website=www.gentlemansgazette.com|language=en-US|access-date=November 23, 2018|author=Shapira, J.A.|date=December 14, 2016|archive-date=October 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026064306/https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/denim-jeans-guide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed heights=160>
File:Denim Fibers.jpg|Denim fibers from an old pair of jeans through a microscope
File:Full Count Denim Fade.jpg|alt=|Natural fading on a worn pair of selvedge jeans. Such patterns are sometimes referred to as 'whiskers' or 'honeycombs'.
</gallery>

===== Distressed jeans =====
[[File: Ramones rocket to russia photo.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Punk rock]] spearheads the [[Ramones]] wearing distressed jeans.]]
[[File:Recording artist Leigh Jones entertained troops at Fort Belvoir 090501 (4920457551).jpg|thumb|upright|right|Ripped jeans were worn by singer Leigh Jones in this promotional photo.]]

Distressed denim emerged from the cultural [[Punk subculture|punk]] movement in the 1970s. However, it was at the beginning of the 1970s that [[Iggy Pop]] from [[The Stooges]] that initially introduced the concept of ripped jeans as clothing on to the stage. It was after that the punk band [[The Ramones]] codified the look in tight fitting jeans and made it part of their personal [[uniform]]. This informed the punk movement as a whole and became part of punk’s fashion.<ref name="Jensen I">{{cite web | url = https://pleasekillme.com/ripped-jeans/  | title =”Ripped Jeans: From Kate Hepburn to Iggy Pop” | last = Jensen | first = Ingrid | publisher = Please Kill Me| date = 24  July 2019 | accessdate = 15 April 2026}}</ref><ref name="Woodward D">{{cite web | url = https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/33728/1/iggy-pops-top-ten-style-fashion-moments| title =”Ten of Iggy Pop’s Stylish Moments” | last = Woodward | first = Daisy | publisher = DAZED| date = 16  November 2016 | accessdate = 15 April 2026}}</ref>  Whilst some punks may have tore apart consumer goods as an expression of their anger towards capitalism and corporate greed, the vast majority used it as a 'poor' aesthetic and a anti-fashion type of fashion statement, which fitted in with the [[do-it-yourself]] ethic and punk's non-conformity. According to the Please Kill Me website, “Rips signaled something very important: the fact that wearer didn’t care at all about opinions public, personal or sartorial. Invisible scars were made obvious in the outer cloth”. <ref name="Jensen I">{{cite web | url = https://pleasekillme.com/ripped-jeans/  | title =”Ripped Jeans: From Kate Hepburn to Iggy Pop” | last = Jensen | first = Ingrid | publisher = Please Kill Me| date = 24  July 2019 | accessdate = 15 April 2026}}</ref>

In the 1980s, clothes manufacturers [[Gentrification|gentrified]] the notion by selling clothes with safety pins already in them, so the original meaning of punk was lost.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenewspaper.ca/the-arts/ |title=Distressed denim: a history |date=September 15, 2023 |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522152020/http://www.thenewspaper.ca/the-arts |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Pickering E">{{cite web | url = https://mtsusidelines.com/2022/04/18/the-history-of-ripped-jeans-through-the-decades/  | title =” The History of Ripped Jeans through the Decades” | last = Pickering| first = Ethan | publisher = MTSU Sidelines | date = 18 April 2022 | accessdate = 15 April 2026}}</ref> Denim became a key target of this anti-fashion [[deconstruction]], with both men and women donning torn pants and jackets, accessorized with [[safety pins]] and slogans. The original trend became popular again in the 1990s with the emergence of [[grunge fashion]]. The grunge youth wore loose-fitting ripped jeans, [[flannel]] shirts or woolen [[Pendleton Woolen Mills|Pendletons]] layered over T-shirts. Their anti-conformist approach to fashion led to the popularization of the casual chic look, a trend which continued into the 2000s.

=== Environmental and humanitarian impact ===
A typical pair of blue jeans uses {{Convert|3479|L|gal}} 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.<ref name="Kaufman_2011">{{cite news |title=Changes in the Air - Stone-Washed Blue Jeans (Minus the Washed) |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |location=San Francisco, California, US |date=November 1, 2011 |author-first=Leslie |author-last=Kaufman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/science/earth/levi-strauss-tries-to-minimize-water-use.html |access-date=March 10, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710070856/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/science/earth/levi-strauss-tries-to-minimize-water-use.html |archive-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>  {{anchor|Droptima}}During production, the typical amount for washing with traditional Pullman machines reaches 90 litres per jeans, which can be reduced to about 27 litres using modern frontloaders.<ref name="Klink_2022">{{cite web |title=DROPTIMA vs. industrielle Standard-Verfahren |language=de |editor-first=Thomas Michael |editor-last=Klink |date=2022 |work=Droptima - The Ecological Washing Technology |publisher=Klink Textile Pflege-Dienste |location=Salzgitter, Germany |url=https://droptima.eco/#vergleich |access-date=July 10, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710070514/https://droptima.eco/#vergleich |archive-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref> Novel washing processes such as Droptima can reduce that to 6 litres fresh water plus 4 litres used water.<ref name="Klink_2022"/><ref name="IKU_2022">{{cite web |title=Droptima - Abwasserfreie Wasch-Technologie |language=de |date=2022 |publisher=[[Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI]] |location=Karlruhe, Germany |department=IKU Newsroom |url=https://www.newsroom-iku-innovationspreis.de/iku-newsroom/aktuelles/Kandidaten-2022/Klink.php |access-date=July 10, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709234901/https://www.newsroom-iku-innovationspreis.de/iku-newsroom/aktuelles/Kandidaten-2022/Klink.php |archive-date=July 9, 2022}}</ref><ref name="ISI_2022">{{cite web |title=Klink Textile Pflege-Dienste: Kooperation mit Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern bei technischen oder sozialen Innovationen für Umwelt- und Klimaschutz – Preisträger 2022 |language=de |date=2022 |work=Innovationspreis für Klima und Umwelt (IKU) |publisher=[[Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI]] |location=Karlsruhe, Germany |url=https://www.iku-innovationspreis.de/iku-info/preistraeger/2022/klink.php |access-date=July 9, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710074925/https://www.iku-innovationspreis.de/iku-info/preistraeger/2022/klink.php |archive-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Dontscheff_2022">{{cite web |title=Unternehmen aus Salzgitter will zig Millionen Kubikmeter Wasser retten - Für eine Neuerung der Jeans-Produktion gab es den Innovationspreis für Klima und Umwelt des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Umwelt. |language=de |author-first=Alexander |author-last=Dontscheff |date=May 30, 2022 |website=regionalHeute.de |department=Salzgitter |publisher=Medien für die Region GmbH |publication-place=Wolfenbüttel, Germany |url=https://regionalheute.de/salzgitter/unternehmen-aus-salzgitter-will-zig-millionen-kubikmeter-wasser-retten-salzgitter-1653913331/ |access-date=July 10, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710095859/https://regionalheute.de/salzgitter/unternehmen-aus-salzgitter-will-zig-millionen-kubikmeter-wasser-retten-salzgitter-1653913331/ |archive-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>

The production of jeans with a "used look" can be more environmentally damaging than regular jeans, depending on how the waste compounds are processed. Sandblasting and treating with sandpaper has the risk of causing [[silicosis]] to the workers, and in Turkey, more than 5,000 textile workers have been stricken with this disease, and 46 people are known to have died. Some companies have announced they are banning the use of sandblasting.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sandblasted jeans: Should we give up distressed denim? |author-first1=Cordelia |author-last1=Hebblethwaite |author-first2=Anbarasan |author-last2=Ethirajan |publisher=[[BBC World Service]] |date=October 1, 2011 |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15017790 |access-date=July 10, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710080446/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-15017790 |archive-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>

== Care and wear ==
Despite most jeans being "pre-shrunk", they are still sensitive to slight further shrinkage and loss of color from being washed. The Levi Strauss company recommends avoiding washing jeans as much as possible.<ref name="Wash My Jeans? Hardly">{{cite news |url=http://www.levistrauss.com/blogs/wash-my-jeans-hardly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911121229/http://www.levistrauss.com/blogs/wash-my-jeans-hardly |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 11, 2010 |publisher=LS&CO. UNZIPPED |title=Wash My Jeans? Hardly. |date=July 30, 2012}}</ref> These and other suggestions to avoid washing jeans where possible have encountered criticism. Cory Warren, editor of ''LS&Co. Unzipped'', clarifies in a response to such a criticism:

{{blockquote|text= Our advice is to wash less often, but clearly, you have to judge for yourself what's appropriate. Hot day, dirty job? Wash your jeans. Please! Cold day, office job? Maybe you can wear them twice or more before they go back to the washing machine. Personally, if I wear a pair of jeans to work on Friday—cool climate, office job—I tend to wear them on Saturday. And if Saturday is spent indoors and I'm not spilling food all over myself, I might even wear them on Sunday.|sign=Corey Warren<ref name="Wash My Jeans? Hardly"/>}}

For those who prefer to refrain from washing their jeans there have been suggestions to freeze them in order to kill the germs that cause odor. However, this advice has been proven ineffective.<ref>{{cite web |title=History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places &#124; Smithsonian |url=http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2011/11/the-myth-of-the-frozen-jeans/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111150041/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-myth-of-the-frozen-jeans-129092730/ |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |access-date=October 28, 2015 |publisher=Blogs.smithsonianmag.com}}</ref>

== Legal cases ==
===Italian rape trial===
In [[Rome]], Italy, in 1992, a 45-year-old driving instructor was accused of rape. When he picked up an 18-year-old girl for her first driving lesson, he allegedly raped her for an hour, then told her that if she was to tell anyone he would kill her. Later that night she told her parents and her parents agreed to help her press charges. While the alleged rapist was convicted and sentenced, the Italian [[Supreme Court of Cassation (Italy)|Supreme Court of Cassation]] later overturned the conviction in 1998 because the victim wore tight jeans. It was argued that she must have necessarily had to help her attacker remove her jeans, thus making the act [[consensual]] ("because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them... and by removing the jeans... it was no longer rape but consensual sex"). The court stated in its decision "it is a fact of common experience that it is nearly impossible to slip off tight jeans even partly without the active collaboration of the person who is wearing them."<ref name="Faedi_2009">{{cite journal |author-last=Faedi |author-first=Benedetta |title=Rape, Blue Jeans, and Judicial Developments in Italy |journal=Columbia Journal of European Law |date=2009 |url= http://www.cjel.net/online/16_1-faedi/ |access-date=April 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110828180548/http://www.cjel.net/online/16_1-faedi/ |archive-date=August 28, 2011 }} {{Cite journal |author-last=Faedi |author-first=Benedetta |title=Rape, Blue Jeans, and Judicial Developments in Italy |journal=GGU Law Digital Commons |volume=104 |pages=1–4 |url= https://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/pubs/104/ |access-date=October 17, 2021 |date=2009 |archive-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220308123342/https://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/pubs/104/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ruling sparked widespread feminist protest. The day after the decision, women in the [[Italian Parliament]] protested by wearing jeans and holding placards that read "Jeans: An Alibi for Rape". As a sign of support, the [[California Senate]] and the [[California Assembly]] followed suit. [[Patricia Giggans]], the executive director of the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (now Peace Over Violence) soon made [[Denim Day]] an annual event. {{as of|2011}} at least 20 U.S. states officially recognize Denim Day in April. Wearing jeans on that day has become an international symbol of protest against such attitudes about sexual assault. In 2008 the Supreme Court of Cassation overturned the ruling, so there is no longer a "denim" defense to the charge of rape.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Italian court reverses 'tight jeans' rape ruling |url= https://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/italian-court-reverses-tight-jeans-rape-ruling-26464014.html |date=July 23, 2008 |first=Richard |last=Owen |access-date=January 23, 2021 |work=Irish Independent |location= Dublin}}</ref><ref name="Faedi_2009"/>

===Rokotov-Faibishenko case===
{{main|Rokotov-Faibishenko case}}

In 1957, during the [[6th World Festival of Youth and Students]] held in [[Moscow]], [[Soviet Union]] (present-day [[Russia]]), Western-made jeans were first introduced to the communist state and sparked "jeans fever" at the time. People preferred to wear Western-made blue jeans rather than local-made black ones.  In Soviet ideology, such an action challenged communist-made jeans and symbolized Western victory. In 1961, two ringleaders, Y. T. Rokotov and V. P. Faibishenko, were caught with their group for smuggling currencies from other countries along with blue jeans and other contraband. Under the leadership of [[Nikita Khrushchev]], the duo were executed.

== Trends==
=== Worldwide market for jeans ===
North America accounts for 39% of global purchases for jeans, followed by Western Europe at 20%, Japan and Korea at 10% and the rest of the world at 31%.<ref name="worldwide denim market report">{{cite web |url=http://www.denimsandjeans.com/latest-denim-reports/denim-data-figures/world-denim-market-a-report-on-capacitiesmarket-size-forecasts-etc/ |title=World Denim Market – A Report on Capacities, Market Size, Forecasts etc |work=Denimsandjeans.com |date=October 13, 2009 |access-date=October 28, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213525/http://www.denimsandjeans.com/latest-denim-reports/denim-data-figures/world-denim-market-a-report-on-capacitiesmarket-size-forecasts-etc/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

United States consumers spent more than US$14 billion on jeans in 2004 and US$15 billion in 2005.<ref name="Sullivan_2006">{{cite book |author-last=Sullivan |author-first=James |title=Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon |date=August 17, 2006 |publisher=[[Gotham Books]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-59240-214-4 |oclc=62697070 |url=https://archive.org/details/jeansculturalhis00sull}}</ref> US consumers bought US$13.8 billion of men's and women's jeans in the year that ended April 30, 2011 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=13800000000|start_year=2011}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}), according to market-research firm NPD Group.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |author-last=Binkley |author-first=Christina |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303365804576429730284498872 |title=How Can Jeans Cost $300? |date=July 7, 2011 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-date=August 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802195001/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303365804576429730284498872 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Soviet Union ===
In the [[Soviet Union]], jeans were the symbol of the Western way of life.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Menzel |first1=Rebecca |title=Jeans in der DDR: vom tieferen Sinn einer Freizeithose |date=2004 |publisher=Ch. Links Verlag |isbn=978-3-86153-335-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUCVNbVrYyEC |language=de}}</ref> The "jeans fever" in the USSR started in 1957 during the [[World Festival of Youth and Students]].<ref name="rua"/> According to a 1961 Soviet textile dictionary, jeans were initially referred to as a "worker's uniform" (рабочий костюм, ''rabochii kostyum'').<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Rabinowitch |author-first=Efimovich Rabinowitch |editor-last=Lupandin |editor-first=K. K. |title=English-Russian Textile Dictionary |publisher=Central Editorial Board, Foreign-Language Scientific and Technical Dictionaries, Fizmatgiz |edition= Second Edition, Revised and Englarged |date=1961 |page=247}}</ref>

The jeans brand Rokotov and Fainberg is named after the defendants in the Rokotov–Faibishenko case, Yan T. Rokotov and Vladislav P. Faibishenko, who were executed for, among other things, trafficking in jeans.<ref name="rua">Rudevich, Alexei. [http://rbth.com/arts/2014/09/16/worth_going_to_prison_for_getting_hold_of_jeans_in_the_ussr_39833.html Worth going to prison for: Getting hold of jeans in the USSR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927095516/http://rbth.com/arts/2014/09/16/worth_going_to_prison_for_getting_hold_of_jeans_in_the_ussr_39833.html |date=September 27, 2014 }}. Russia Beyond the Headlines, September 16, 2014. Accessed on November 16, 2014.</ref>

Although not outright banned, jeans were hard to come by in the Soviet Union since they were seen as a symbol of rebellion by the Soviet youth, who wanted to emulate the style of film and rock stars of the West. The [[Soviet government]] resisted supplying the market with jeans as it would mean responding to the [[market (economics)|market]], a [[capitalist]] principle.<ref>{{cite news |author-first=Katherine |author-last=Damm |date=May 9, 2018 |orig-date=2014-09-14 |url=https://www.heddels.com/2014/09/soviet-denim-smuggling-history-jeans-behind-iron-curtain/ |title=Soviet Denim Smuggling—Jeans Behind the Iron Curtain |work=Heddels |access-date=October 13, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014034130/https://www.heddels.com/2014/09/soviet-denim-smuggling-history-jeans-behind-iron-curtain/ |url-status=live }}</ref> People went to great lengths, sometimes by resorting to violence and other illegal activities, to obtain real Western-made jeans. That led to the creation of [[black markets]] and to the [[counterfeit consumer goods|bootlegging]] of jeans, which since has become an important cultural element of the [[history of the Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/32495/1/exploring-the-ussr-s-underground-obsession-with-levi-s-501s |title=Exploring the USSR's underground obsession with Levi's 501s |date=August 19, 2016 |work=Dazed |access-date=October 13, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013225333/http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/32495/1/exploring-the-ussr-s-underground-obsession-with-levi-s-501s |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Market-share shift to activewear ===
In 2014, teens were buying more fashion and [[athleisure]] clothing  from brands such as [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] and [[Lululemon]] over denim classics from brands like [[Abercrombie & Fitch]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/how-teens-are-spending-money-2014-4 |title=How Teens Are Spending Money |website=Business Insider |date=April 9, 2014 |access-date=October 28, 2015 |archive-date=November 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108074914/http://www.businessinsider.com/how-teens-are-spending-money-2014-4 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Activewear]] in 2014 comprised 28% of teens' apparel purchases, up from 6% in 2008. In 2014, Nike, Lululemon, [[Under Armour]], and [[Adidas]] were the most popular brands for athletic apparel among teen consumers. Fashion retailers have begun to adjust their offerings accordingly. Bloomberg reports that Levi's stuck to its core product (denim) instead of adapting to consumer trends. As a result, Levi's sales decreased from over US$7 billion to US$4.8 billion in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |author-first=Ashley |author-last=Lutz |url=http://www.aol.com/article/2015/10/11/a-longtime-american-wardrobe-staple-is-in-danger-of-extinction/21247712/ |title=A longtime American wardrobe staple is in danger of extinction |publisher=AOL |date=October 11, 2015 |access-date=October 28, 2015 |archive-date=October 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030095938/http://www.aol.com/article/2015/10/11/a-longtime-american-wardrobe-staple-is-in-danger-of-extinction/21247712/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2021, it was found that sales for [[athleisure]] had risen by 84% since March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bottomley |first=Tom |date=February 17, 2021 |title=Athleisure orders rise by 84% since start of pandemic |url=https://www.theindustry.fashion/athleisure-orders-rise-by-84-since-start-of-pandemic/ |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=TheIndustry.fashion |language=en-GB |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020145253/https://www.theindustry.fashion/athleisure-orders-rise-by-84-since-start-of-pandemic/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Variations on the basic type==
* Cigarette: Designed to fit quite closely, but not tightly, to the thigh area, with a less close fit to the calf<ref name="Adhav_2020"/>
* Cropped: Where the leg is cut to a lesser length, to somewhere above the ankle<ref name="Adhav_2020"/>
* Relaxed<ref name="Adhav_2020"/>
* Skinny: Worn to flatter the figure in the fashion of tight or close fitting<ref name="Adhav_2020"/>
* Wide-leg; or with cropped variant: The waist line rides up past the wearer's actual waist, material below the knee is altogether away from the leg and descends as a straight line, standard type descends down to the ankle; cropped variant: the leg ceases at the lower leg mid-way down (or stops further down toward the ankle)<ref name="Adhav_2020"/>
* Mom/Mum: Jeans which have a high waist (above the belly button), and are loose around the thighs, with a somewhat tapered fit.<ref name="published">{{Cite web |author1=Charlie Bell |date=January 24, 2022 |title=Boyfriend jeans vs mom jeans: what's the difference, and which is best for your style? |url=https://www.womanandhome.com/fashion/mom-jeans-vs-boyfriend-jeans-whats-the-difference-386300/ |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=Woman and Home Magazine |language=en |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020152043/https://www.womanandhome.com/fashion/mom-jeans-vs-boyfriend-jeans-whats-the-difference-386300/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Straight-leg: Jeans which are the same width at the leg opening as they are at the bottom of the leg, making for a slightly baggy fit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Paul |title=What Are Straight Leg Jeans? (Explained) |url=https://workwearcommand.com/straight-leg-jeans/ |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=Work Wear Command |language=en-US |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020152044/https://workwearcommand.com/straight-leg-jeans/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Boyfriend: Often with a mid-low waist, boyfriend jeans have a baggy, "borrowed from the boys" fit.<ref name="published"/>
* Flared, or [[bell-bottoms|bell-bottomed]]: Often fitted around the thigh area, then become wider from the knee down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 23, 2014 |title=The Difference Between Bootcut, Straight, Skinny, and Flare-Legged Jeans |url=https://outfitideashq.com/difference-bootcut-straight-skinny-flare-legged-jeans/ |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=Outfit Ideas HQ |language=en-US |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020152045/https://outfitideashq.com/difference-bootcut-straight-skinny-flare-legged-jeans/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[High-waisted jeans]] were first popularized in the 1970s, but they have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. High-waisted jeans are characterized by a high rise that sits above the belly button. They can be fitted, relaxed, or loose-fitting, and they come in a variety of washes and colors.<ref>{{Citation |title=high-rise |date=2022 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781501365287.1334 |work=The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Fashion |page=75 |access-date=June 24, 2023 |publisher=Fairchild Books |doi=10.5040/9781501365287.1334 |isbn=978-1-5013-6669-7 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026064309/https://chooser.crossref.org/?doi=10.5040%2F9781501365287.1334 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Low-rise jeans ===
Media reported in 2017 that the trend of [[low-rise pants|low-rise jeans]], famous in the 1990s and 2000s, was coming back into fashion due to a sparked by an interest in Y2K style.

In the early 2000s, low-rise jeans were commonly seen on celebrities such as [[Britney Spears]], [[Jennifer Lopez]], [[Paris Hilton]], [[Gwen Stefani]] and [[Christina Aguilera]], attributing to the Y2K style. In 2021, online searches for 'y2k fashion' had risen by 193%,<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2021 |title=The Anatomy of a Trend: Y2K |url=https://blog.trendalytics.co/2021/08/23/anatomy-trend-y2k |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020145932/https://blog.trendalytics.co/2021/08/23/anatomy-trend-y2k |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=blog.trendalytics.co |language=en}}</ref> showing that the fashion style was making a comeback, and low-rise jeans were becoming a common clothing item for teenagers and young adults.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jennings |first=Rebecca |date=April 6, 2021 |title=Low-rise jeans are back. Try not to scream. |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22364404/low-rise-jeans-trend-y2k-fashion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020145930/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22364404/low-rise-jeans-trend-y2k-fashion |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 15, 2022 |title=Low rise jeans are back – and the lower the better |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/jan/15/low-rise-jeans-are-back-and-the-lower-the-better |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020145930/https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/jan/15/low-rise-jeans-are-back-and-the-lower-the-better |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 30, 2021 |title=How Low Can These Low-Rise Jeans Go? |url=https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/low-rise-jeans |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020145932/https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/low-rise-jeans |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref> 

Low-rise jeans usually come {{Convert|2-3|in|cm|0}} or more below the navel.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/shopping/10-types-of-jeans-every-woman-should-have-wardrobe |title=  10 Types Of Jeans Every Woman Should Have In Her Wardrobe |author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= 26 Oct 2021 |publisher= The Singapore Women's Weekly 
|access-date= 7 April 2026}}</ref> Manufactured low-rise jeans have a shorter rise (distance between the waistband and crotch seam). The low-rise look can also be accomplished by letting jeans with longer rises fall lower than they are meant to. This is a less extreme version of [[Sagging (fashion)|sagging]], which was popularized by male hip-hop artists in the 1990s.

== Industrial production ==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Denim Fabric Storing.JPG|How denim fabric is stored in the factory
File:Denim fabric Cutting Machine.jpg|Automated cutting machines are used in RMG factory to cut the pieces.
File:PP Spray.jpg|P P Spray and P P Sponging being applied to jeans to give them a new look
File:3D Crinkle on Dummy.jpg|Adding 3D crunching, whiskers, and wrinkles to jeans to make them look more used
File:Crinkle on Denim Jeans Pant.JPG|Applying permanent wrinkles to jeans
File:Hand Sanding on Denim Jeans.JPG|Hand scraping of jeans
File:Curing.JPG|Resin treatment process on jeans
File:Tagging.JPG|Tacking on jeans, which adds strength to high-stress areas
File:Denim Washing.JPG|Socks dyeing machine in a washing plant for washing jeans
File:Denim Jeans Pant.jpg|The process of washing and drying jeans
File:Denima Jeans Finishin.jpg|The final steps of preparing jeans for market
File:Live model Fitting of Ladies Denim Pant.JPG|Checking the fit on a live model
File:Denim Jeans Pant QA checking.JPG|Quality checking and quality assurance
File:Denim Jeans Pant Display.JPG|Jeans are displayed for the buyer in the RMG factory showroom.
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Fashion}}
* [[Athleisure]]
* [[Baggy jeans]]
* [[Bell-bottoms]]
* [[Shorts#Daisy Dukes|Daisy Dukes]] 
* [[Denim skirt]] ("jean" skirt)
* [[Designer clothing#Designer jeans|Designer jeans]]
* [[Drainpipe jeans]]
* [[Jean jacket]]
* [[Jeggings]]
* [[Jorts]] ("jean shorts")
* [[Mom jeans]]
* [[Trousers as women's clothing]]
* [[Western wear|Western fashion]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Gruber_2010">{{cite book |url=https://issuu.com/artsolution/docs/cat._maitre_toile_de_jeans_a |title=The Master of the Blue Jeans: A New Painter of Reality in Late 17th Century Europe |author-first=Gerlinde |author-last=Gruber |date=2010 |publisher=Galerie Canesso |location=Paris, France |pages=10, 23 |access-date=January 15, 2019 |archive-date=June 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619181014/https://issuu.com/artsolution/docs/cat._maitre_toile_de_jeans_a |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Adhav_2020">{{cite web |author-last=Adhav |author-first=Lauren |title=Types of jeans |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/g26429319/types-of-jeans/ |website=Cosmopolitan |date=July 3, 2020 |publisher=[[Hearst Media|Hearst Magazine Media, Inc]] February 21, 2019 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |archive-date=April 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427201051/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/g26429319/types-of-jeans/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
</references>

==External links==
{{Commons category|Jeans}}
* [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/riveted-history-of-jeans/ ''Riveted: The History of Jeans''] at [[PBS]]'s ''[[American Experience]]''

{{Clothing}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Jeans| ]]
[[Category:19th-century fashion]]
[[Category:20th-century fashion]]
[[Category:21st-century fashion]]
[[Category:American fashion]]
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[[Category:Canadian fashion]]
[[Category:Men's clothing]]
[[Category:Women's clothing]]
[[Category:Trousers and shorts]]
[[Category:Western wear]]
[[Category:Working-class culture in the United States]]
[[Category:Workwear]]