Blogging Day 6: Fabric story in fashion: Designer labels using fabric as their main focus on the season or innovation in fabric that brought new trend.
On the topic of innovative fabrics, I have to bring up denim. Denim jeans are a staple clothing item everyone has in their closet; I have 5 or 7 pairs of jeans ranging from dark blue to black to teal. The fabric has been around for years and is so common we tend to not give it the attention it deserves. There is academic literature on all the “avant-garde or outlandish couture” that a small amount of consumers actually wear but very little attention is given to the most common garment worn by almost everyone (Miller, D., & Woodward, S., n.d.).
Denim is an innovative fabric because it’s very durable and has high abrasion resistance. It was initially made for workers who needed durable garments but now jeans can be durable, comfortable, cute, and trendy all in one. Jacob Davis, a tailor, and a customer of Levi Strauss’, had come up with an “ingenious way to make pants stronger by adding metal rivets to the weak points at the pocket corners and the base of the fly” (Whitley, L., 2005). The metal pieces on jeans make them stronger and perfect for workers. The idea shot off and became an instant hit in 1853.
People in other countries have taken up the American phenomenon and now “[d]enim jeans clearly are not only present but are, moreover, the dominant form of casual attire in many countries” (Miller, D., & Woodward, S., n.d.). Jeans are everywhere. Now the denim fabric is not even restricted to just jeans; there are also denim jackets, dresses, overalls, shorts, skirts and handbags. Vivienne Westwood even created a two-piece denim outfit with lace effects.
In her article June Hill names denim as “the fabric of our lives” (Hill, J., 2009). Levi Strauss was the revolutionary with denim; his company, Levi’s, is the biggest and the best denim producing company. In 1853, Levi Strauss and his company created the very first pair of jeans (“About Levi Strauss & Co”, n.d.). At the time they were called waist overalls and targeted towards workers and miners. The durable fabric was ideal for construction workers and such. However, “the meanings associated with jeans changed from work wear to an icon of the next generation born of that working population.” (Miller, D., & Woodward, S., n.d.). 
Youth cultures began to adopt the fashion statement of jeans as way to be autonomous from the adult society that liked order and normality. Then James Dean put jeans on in Rebel Without a Cause, thus adding fire to the flame. Jeans were everywhere; various subcultures adopted them to their own styles; denim became common. With that said, “jeans are often read as either the spread of Americanization or a sign of freedom, rebellion, and youth.” (Miller, D., & Woodward, S., n.d.). However, once something is mass-produced and made easily affordable and accessible to all consumer groups, everyone is going to buy the product.
Resources:
1. About Levi Strauss & Co. (n.d.) In Levi Strauss & Co. Retrieved from http://www.levistrauss.com/about
2. Hill, J. (2009). Denim-the fabric of our lives. Textile, 7(1), 98-110.
3. Miller, D., & Woodward, S. (n.d.). Global denim. Global Perspectives, 10.
4. Whitley, L. (2005). Levi strauss & co. A-Z of Fashion.
Subrina Hossain 