Let’s Go Back in Time

   As American as we think denim is, the history of blue jeans goes back to XVI Century Europe. It’s amazing that a product developed 500 years ago fuels today’s multi-million dollar denim industry. Who would have thought back in Genoa in the 1500’s that the material worn by Genovese sailors in their everyday pants would evolve to become the textile and fashion industry phenomenon that denim is today.

   The story goes that “jean” derives from the word Genoa. It refers to the material that sailors from Genoa used in their pants. This was a coarse cotton-wool and/or linen blend. It originally came from Italy, and is evidence of the custom of naming a material for its place of origin. By the late 16th century, jean was already being produced in Lancashire, England. The composition eventually evolved to 100% cotton by the 18th century.

The History of Denim

  On the other hand, the origin of the term “denim” can be traced to late 16th century France where a fabric known as “serge de Nîmes” (Twill from Nîmes) was very popular. Some doubt remains as to whether the contraction “denim” actually came from this French fabric or another twill called “nim”, also used in France at the time. “Serge de Nîmes” was a blend of silk and wool, which leads some historians to doubt if this was truly the origin of modern day denim. Either way, the history of jeans goes this far back in history.

  Both fabrics grew in popularity, denim being the stronger and more expensive of the two. The major difference between them was that denim was woven with one colored thread (the warp) and the other white (the weft), while jean was woven with two colored threads.