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by: HowardBrule
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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 originally created jeans?

No one person invented jeans. Rather than being created at one point in time, they evolved over 400 years into the form and design we are familiar with today.

Traditional jeans are made of a woven cotton fabric called denim. Denim is a rugged cotton twill material with a distinctive diagonal weave that makes it very tough and very versatile.

Before the 1600's there was a distinctive cotton cloth developed in India called "dungaree". This name derives from the area near Bombay where it was made and sold. "Dungaree" became a popular fabric for making clothes for Portuguese sailors on trading vessels plying the Spice Route. It was normally dyed indigo blue, as it still is today. The Portuguese introduced this material to other parts of the world.

By the mid 1600s a similar cloth was being woven in France near the city of Nimes. This popular fabric was called "serge de Nimes." The name was shortened to "de Nimes" which was eventually pronounced "denim." That is how we got the name we use today.

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?

About the Author

See the video of this article at Where Did Those Jeans Come From. Visit IceCanadaInc.com for a great selection of wholesale jeans and wholesale clothing. Online promotion with articles and online videos.

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