In 1873, they acquired a patent, and Davis moved to San Francisco following Strauss. After 17 years, they were the only ones who could produce jeans with rivets, but after the patent expired in 1890, the jeans studs became the standard.
Jeans Patent with Rivets from 1873
From the work environment into the fashion world
It happened in the 1950s when the Second World War had already been a history for some years. The US economy was booming and people started spending more. And one of the things they bought were jeans. Until then, they had been working clothes, and so the manufacturers had to change their production and start producing leisure time trousers.
It was mainly young people who started wearing jeans among the first ones. They represented independence and rebellion, and after some time they were even banned in schools, which further encouraged the desire for them.
James Dean in jeans and a white t-shirt
Soon, Hollywood began to talk about jeans. In 1955, James Dean starred in the movie Rebel Without a Cause wearing Lee 101 jeans and a white T-shirt. This combination has immediately become the evergreen.
With war to Europe
Even though denim is originally from Europe, sewn jeans had not got over the ocean. This changed after the attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II. It was the American soldiers who showed the first jeans to the world. Denim was used in uniforms and they even wore them in “out of service” moments.
US soldiers landing on the Omaha beach in France
Another milestone was the Marshall Plan, which, in addition to financial and material assistance, brought to Europe a part of American culture in the form of music or films. Young Europeans soon became accustomed to blue jeans as a symbol of change.
American jeans were very expensive in Europe. The most commonly sold jeans were second-hand and worn-out. That’s why it’s no wonder that local producers started to emerge, such as Lee Cooper in England, Mustang in Germany, or Rifle in Italy. Europeans copied jeans from the US. The same thing happened in Japan, where jeans arrived along with the war too. That’s why jeans all over the world look almost the same. Everywhere it is the copy of the original American trousers.
Bruce Springsteen and cover of his album from 1984
So now you know the story…
