De Nîmes

Hello fashionistas! I have been enjoying many a lazy days, yay! This weekend I jumped around puddles, ducking and diving in and out of rain showers in an attempt to see Iron Man 3 (which was umazing!). But today I decided to do some blogging.

Yesterday at work I had to 'Get Geeky About Denim  (not my choice of words, it was the name of the booklet!), however being the little nerd I am I found it rather interesting!

Now, I bet every single one of you has a pair of Denim Jeans in your wardrobe, however I bet none of you have ever thought about where Denim came from. Well I am now Geeky about Denim (HA!) so here we go!

Denim was invented in the 16th Century in Nîmes, France (a very nice city which I have actually visited thanks to my Mum's navigation skills!). The fabric was called 'Serge' and as it originated from Nîmes, it was originally named Serge de Nîmes, thiswas eventually shortened to denim (de Nîmes) (wee fun fact for you there!).
Denim is a very durable fabric and was originally used in sailor's work clothes and worn by slaves working in plantations. In 1853, during the San Francisco Gold Rush, Levi Strauss supplied Denim clothing to miners as it did not tear easily. In 1872 Jacob Davis developed the design, using metal rivets to fasten pockets to the trousers. An agreement was made between Strauss and Davis and the copper riveted jeans were born and Denim became essential wear of Gold Rush miners in the 19th Century.

Cowboys in Hollywood western movies popularised Denim Jeans in the 1930's. In the 1950's Jeans became associated with teenage rebellion and were worn by icons such as James Dean. In the 1960's the hippie culture brought painted and embroidered Jeans into fashion. However it was not until the 1970's that Jeans actually became an affordable comfort wear, popular across the world.

Denim Jeans have continued to embody youth spirit and it is an essential fabric to any fashionista's casual wear wardrobe, make sure you have a few pairs in your wardrobe! 

Till next time! xxx