Everyone loves blue jeans. They are comfortable, durable, inexpensive, and seem to never go out of fashion. One of the great things about jeans is that they can be worn in almost any situation. They can be worn when performing household chores, for lounging around the home, for working at the office, for evenings out, and especially for informal gatherings of all kinds. Many celebrities even wear jeans when appearing on talk shows. There’s good reason for the expression “you can live in your jeans”.

Who Created Blue Jeans?

There is no one “inventor” of jeans. Believe it or not, they evolved over a long period of more than 400 years. They started out as versatile and rugged pants worn by sailors and turned into the everyday uniform now worn by millions of people around the world.

Jeans are made of denim which is a durable woven cotton fabric that appeals to most people. There are many reasons: denim has long-lasting durability, it is comfortable, it comes in varying hues, it is versatile and it is not terribly expensive. Denim jeans can be worn for hard physical labor, out to dinner, or any type of activity in between.

The name “dungaree” comes from Dongarii Fort, an area on the outskirts of the Indian city of Bombay, where the material was produced and sold. It was usually dyed with blue indigo dye creating the distinctive blue colour that exists to this day. This distinctive dungaree cloth was first used by sailors on Portuguese sailing ships. They wore it in their travels around the world and introduced it to Europe.

By the 1600s a similar cloth was being woven in France near the city of Nimes where it was called “serge”. The name “serge de Nimes” was soon shortened to “denim”, and the rest is history.

Denim trousers became known as “jeans” because the port of Genoa (Genes in French) became a major manufacturer of denim pants. The sturdy pants were used by sailors in the Genoese Navy. They were ideal for sailors, like modern teenagers - who had to practically live in their clothes. They could wear their denim clothing wet or dry, the legs could be easily rolled up, and they could be washed simply by dragging them behind the ship in a large net.

Hey! What could be more convenient than that?