Levi 501
Jeans have survived generation after generation of fashion trends and seen thousands of must haves rise and fall but still stood firm as a wardrobe staple. And perhaps the most famous of these jeans is the Levi 501.
Levi 501 jeans are easily identified by their button up fly- as opposed the traditional zip. They were originally developed by Levi Strauss in the USA in around 1872 to be worn by hard working miners in California.
Since then this icon of fashion history has become the world's most successful manufactured article of clothing and been seen on some of the biggest stars including Elvis Presley, James Dean, and Marlon Brando.
Levi Strauss have often been giving credit for inventing jeans but- although it was Levi that brought them to mainstream fashion- jeans and denim originate much earlier in Europe.
The term "jeans" is believed to have come from a blue fabric called "Genoese"worn by Itallian sailors. This fabric was imported to Britain in the 16th century and is even referred to in literature by Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens- perhaps Scrooge was partial to a pair of jeans.
Denim as we know it today is believed to be Serge de Nîmes, a French twill weave cloth made from a mixture of wool and silk which began to be mass produced in Britain and America in the 19th century because it's hard wearing properties made it ideal for working men.
German born Levi Strauss was one of the first people to mass produce denim material in the late 1800s. He and a tailor named Jacob Davis invented a method by which the weak points of work pants - such as pocket corners and the base of the fly - could be reinforced by metal rivets- the trousers were given the product number 501. These pants were a huge hit and soon workmen everywhere wanted a pair.
For years after this jeans were considered as sturdy trousers for hard working miners and cowboys (mmm sexy) but when American soldiers began to wear them in the Second World War everyone wanted a bit of the laid back GI style and soon after fitted stylish jeans hit the market.
The 1950s boosted the attraction of jeans as they became synonymous with teen rebellion in film, television, and rock 'n' roll - Elvis Presley even wore a denim prison uniform in Jailhouse Rock".
In the 1960s the jeans protest continued as swinging 60s youths wore faded and torn denims and at Woodstock embroidered and sequinned jeans were worn to make a statement.
The jeans even embraced 1970s flower power with bell bottoms becoming the height of fashion and denim becoming more popular than ever. This is the first time we saw expensive designer jeans hit the market taking denim out of the working classes and into high end boutiques.
The 80s saw jeans being destroyed as distressed denim took over. Bleach and paint splatters were the new must-have design and the more old and messed up your jeans were the cooler you were.
In the early 90s Levi 501s emerged as a vintage must-have, with students and celebrities alike raiding charity shops for a pair of the original classic design. Levis saw the potential of this retro status and brought back the 501 range.
Since then the 501s have had a series of make overs. They've been brought out in all kinds of styles and colours and recently we heard news that hot new designer Henry Holland will be getting involved to create a new range of the timeless jeans.
So there you have it.....Levi 501 may at first seem like just another pair of denims but if we look a bit closer we can see the influence they had on establishing jeans as one of our best loved fashion must-haves.
Caz Moss- Female First