THE HISTORY OF JEANS

 

All the blue of the Mediterranean, a feminized marine spirit, a marine painting by the artist Jacky Robert… The theme of the next session will be blue like blue jeans, the eternal!

 

The brand ARTIST, in love of art and textiles, immerses you in the history of the legendary canvas that she placed at the heart of her collection “ The fabric from Nîmes » (*). 

Exploration of the treasure ofARTIST in between 10 And May 19, 2024 !

 From the family of “twill” weaves, the very recognizable cotton fabric is distinguished by its flexibility and strength due to its tight weaving of characteristic fine diagonal lines.

 

Today, it is available in white, black or colored, but the most common dye remains the indigo of the original jeans, with a slightly mottled appearance, blue on the front and white on the reverse.

 Appreciated for its ability to fade and soften with use, its manufacturers accelerate its aging process. Everyone has their own method of giving it wear by washing with a pumice stone, by sanding or by the action of enzymes.

 Without treatment, this fabric shrinks. Sanforizing, a mechanical primer applied before cutting, stops this disadvantage.

 

Current denim is a hybrid between Genoese “jean” and “Nîmes sergé” which were initially very distinct. Its evolution was influenced by commercial exchanges and the transmission of know-how between different countries such as France, Italy and England from the end of the 16th century.

 

At the beginning of the 19th century, the conquest of the West and the gold rush converged with the development of cotton cultivation in the United States, which imported European jeans and denim for the manufacture of ship sails, wagon covers and of tents.

 On the eve of the Civil War, the Americans were now capable of ensuring this production from spinning to finished product.

 

In 1873, Lévi Strauss and Jacob Davis filed the patent for work clothing that had become iconic: the first jeans with pockets and rivets.

Hardwearing pants intended for workers, miners, railway workers or gold miners, they were then adopted by dark cowboys on screen, Hollywood celebrities, rebels, rock stars, hippies... popularized the garment and its material. While activists of the women's liberation movement chose to wear jeans to demand gender equality. His look seduces, he speaks of rebellion, independence, protesting youth.

 

Yves Saint Laurent took the plunge at the end of the 1960s and worked with indigo canvas as a luxurious fabric.

 In 1964, Marithé and François Girbaud, true “jeannologists”, were at the origin of numerous technological developments in terms of washing and treatment for a very popular “patina” appearance.

 

The 70s marked the golden age of jeans in all their forms: patched, restyled, bell-bottoms or straight...

 In 1976, Calvin Klein presented jeans on the catwalk. In the 1980s, the provocative campaign of Brooke Shield for Calvin Klein and the sulphurous advertisements of Guess with Claudia Schiffer revealed a new seductive potential of jeans.

At the same time, Giorgio Armani, Azzedine Alaïa and many others are catching the denim wave. Large houses such as Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and Dior will follow.

Other creators are following suit and taking it to the streets:

Kenzo, Emmanuel Kahn, Daniel Hechter, Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler…

 

The hip-hop movement of the early 90s was characterized by baggy, oversized, and low-rise clothing; intellectuals and hipsters wear dark to return to the roots of style; pop stars prefer faded, streaked styles; and fashion enthusiasts pay top dollar for vintage pieces.

 But after this incessant rise, jeans lost popularity. However, he has not said his last word!

He owes his strong comeback in 2000 to Jean-Paul Gaultier who dared to wear a haute couture evening dress and made it chic.

 

Levi's, Lee... and other jeans makers like Diesel, Hogan, Earl Jeans and Gas have real know-how and total mastery of techniques. Based on constant innovations, they are pushing the denim market upwards with a broad offering. A multitude of styles: flared, skinny, high waist, low waist, light, dark, or colorful, meets the desires of the whole world.

 

Legendary star, favorite subject, “ The fabric from Nîmes » continue to inspire ARTISTmixing the art of Jacky Robert to his next collection. Embarkation from May 10 to 19 between indigo sky, navy sea and washed horizon…

 

 

(*) Find the eponymous and dedicated article from April 25, 24 in the blog.