The term jean refers to any trousers made from denim. These trousers were originally designed as hard-wearing working clothing for cowboys in the 1870s by a young Jewish immigrant named Levi Strauss and a tailor named Jacob Davis.

It was Davis’s idea to reinforce the points of stress on the jeans with copper rivets. The fabric was dyed with indigo, which is a dye from plants in the Americans and India. The jeans were a big seller to gold miners in the California Gold Rush.

A Rebellious Fashion Statement

At first, these trousers were only worn by workers in factories during WWII. However, when James Dean wore them in the film "Rebel Without a Cause" in 1955 they become a very sexy and hip symbol of youth rebellion. They were so edgy at the time that they were even banned in schools, theatres and restaurants.

Men's jeans became the uniform of “greasers” and were worn in tight styles along with leather jackets and slicked back hair. In fact, blue jeans became such a part of American culture that a pair of jeans was placed in the American exhibit at the 1958 World’s Fair.

Bell Bottoms and Embroidery

In the 1960 and 1970s jeans evolved with the fashions of the time and many young people were wearing denim in brightly decorated and psychedelic ways. Bell bottom jeans became the fashion, which were cut wide at the base of the legs and often had embroidery, painted patterns or patches.

The fashions of the young hippies were designed to show their peaceful love of art and “flower power” as well as demonstrate that they were not about to conform to societal pressures anytime soon. Wearing jeans meant that they were opting for clothes which were comfortable and bright, rather than the dress pants, ties and skirts that they were expected to wear to prepare themselves for their professional lives.

In the 1970s and 80s the punk rock movement brought on all sorts of ripped, studded and otherwise destroyed jeans which created the tough and rebellious look of the punk rocker.

The 1980s and Designer Jeans

Up until the 1980s jeans had been primarily the uniform of the factory worker or the young person, but in the 1980s fashion designers started to make them chic by creating the first expensive designer jeans.

These designer jeans were hand-aged, stone washed, acid washes and distressed in just the right way so that they looked worn even when they were brand new. They sometimes sold for more than the yearly salary of the factory workers who made them.

Modern Denim

These days jeans are one of the most widely worn items of clothing and they have become totally uni-sex and classless and they can be worn by both men and women and rich and poor.

In 2012, the current trend for young hipsters is uber-tight skinny jeans which look like they have been spray painted on. However, jeans of all shapes and sizes are worn by everyone from Hollywood actresses to janitors to grandmothers as these trousers are comfortable, long wearing and flattering.

Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.