Would that we could find original jeans and work clothes from the 1800's California gold rush.
Images - 'From Cowboys to Catwalk' and ' 'Jeans Des Heroes'
Clothing from The General Store was fit and strong enough for railroad hard labour. It was these Pioneers and their tough overalls who not only helped build the railroads but have unwittingly helped perpetuate our love today of everything indigo denim.
To the point of copying in every small detail the style and shape of their utility clothing. The exact replica badges, logos , labels, buttons, rivets, braces and buckles are all part of the essential package of contemporary workwear.
And of course Levi Strauss was one of the first companies to capitalise on the popularity of what was originally workwear, HD Lee with his "Jeans that built America" slogan, was another. In the 1800's Leob Strauss and Jacob David collaborated turning the turning original work pants from brown canvas sailcloth to a 3x1 weave in indigo and registering them under the name Levi Strauss, using the two horse brand to represent strength and durability. The history of the jean goes back even further.
In 1567 sailors from Genoa arrived in the USA wearing tough trousers made from a cloth called Serge de Nimes - De-Nimes, which is the origin of the name Denim. This cloth was dyed indigo being a universally traded commodity at that time. The word jean however is hotly debated. It is thought the the sailors from Genoa ( Genes) gave rise to this. But it was many years later that Levi Strauss registered it for his tough 3x1 RHT cotton cloth pants. This is a too short precis of the many years that gave rise to and turned a San Franciso family textile factory owner together with a Nevada tailor into the icon we know today. Denim is now the biggest selling fabric and jeans the biggest selling garment in our World of apparel today.
