(  The Beginning: From Nîmes to the New World  )  

The story of denim begins in 16th-century France, where a sturdy wool blend fabric known as "serge de Nîmes" was produced in the city of Nîmes. This textile, with its diagonal “warp-faced twill” weave, was prized for its durability and affordability. In Genoa, Italy, during the same period, a cotton version of the twill called "les bleu de Gênes" which translates to "blue of Genoa" was being produced. 

Over time, blue of Genoa or "blue jeans" and serge de Nîmes or "denim" became intertwined in public consciousness.

(  The Birth of the Blue Jeans  )

Denim’s appearance in America in the mid-19th century, during the California Gold Rush. In 1853, Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant, moved to San Francisco to sell goods to miners. Recognizing the need for robust clothing, Strauss partnered with tailor Jacob Davis in 1873 to patent a new type of work pants reinforced with copper rivets at stress points and dyed with indigo, establishing their signature blue.

Indigo dye, made from the flowers of the Indigofera tinctoria plant, was both practical and economical. Unlike synthetic dyes, natural indigo didn’t penetrate the entire fiber, causing the fabric to fade over time from wear and develop a distinctive patina and becoming a desirable aesthetic feature that still appeals today.

(  From Workwear to Westerns  ) 

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, denim remained firmly rooted in workwear. Denim overalls, jeans and jackets became standard uniforms for laborers, farmers, and cowboys, who appreciated the fabric for its durability in harsh conditions.  

During this time, denim was immortalized in culture by classic Hollywood's Westerns such as Tom Mix in The Untamed (1920) and John Wayne in Stagecoach (1939). By the 1930s, brands like Levi’s, Wrangler, and Lee were synonymous with the quintessentially American symbols of freedom and individuality.

(  Wartime and Rebellion  )

During World War II, denim gained further prominence when it was adopted by the U.S. military for uniforms and work clothes. American soldiers stationed abroad introduced denim to new audiences, planting the seeds for its global popularity.

After the war, denim became a symbol of youth rebellion, popularized by cultural icons like Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953) and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). 

Hippies, activists, and rock stars of the 1960s also embraced denim as a symbol of anti-establishment values, often customizing their jeans with embroidery, patches, or distressing. This association of denim with counterculture and rebellion led to its stigmatization. Schools and establishments banned jeans, viewing them as a threat to societal norms, cementing their status as a badge of youthful defiance. Brands like Wrangler, Lee, and Levi’s expanded their offerings, introducing new cuts, colors, and washes. Bell-bottom jeans became emblematic of this free-spirited era

(  Denim’s Mainstream Appeal  )

The late 1970s and 1980s marked a turning point as denim entered the realm of luxury fashion. Designers like Calvin Klein and Gloria Vanderbilt introduced designer jeans, elevating denim into a symbol of style and status, and cementing them as a staple of mainstream style. In 1976, Calvin Klein became the first designer to feature denim on the runway, and his provocative advertising campaigns throughout the 1980s and 1990s further fueled the denim craze. 

(  The Dirt on Denim  )

From the 2000s onwards, denim’s firmly established mass appeal and the rise of fast fashion has seen the textile go from coveted to ubiquitous. 2 billion pairs of jeans are produced every year. A typical pair takes 7,000 litres of water to produce. Sixteen industries and a global supply chain are involved, from cotton growers in the U.S. and Egypt, to dyers in the Far East, to mills in India, Italy, and Japan, and to cutters and sewers in India and Thailand.

Denim garments that were once made from 100% cotton are now a blend of low-grade cotton, polyester and elastane, making them less durable and almost impossible to recycle. Where indigo dye was once derived from plants, it is now created with a toxic combination of petrochemicals, resins, formaldehyde, acrylics and polyurethane-based coatings which pollute our waterways and communities globally. 

The fashion industry generates 92 million tons of textile waste annually, and denim is a significant contributor. Greenpeace reports that many people dispose of clothes within a year, with some garments being discarded after no more than 10 wearings. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that less than 1% of all clothing (including denim) is recycled into new garments. An estimated 73% of the materials used to produce clothing globally are landfilled or burned at the end of their life. In the U.S. alone, about 11.3 million tons of textiles end up in landfills annually. 

(  Wartime and Rebellion - REVISITED )

The rebellious spirit of denim has evolved over decades—and today, it fuels the work of upcycling designers who challenge the capitalist excess of the fashion industry. Just as 1960s youth customized their jeans as a form of anti-establishment expression and schools banned the garments as a result, contemporary designers repurpose vintage denim to resist the wastefulness of fast fashion and brands wage war against the infringement on their market share with cease and desist letters and lawsuits.

By reworking discarded jeans into one-of-a-kind pieces, brands like B Sides, Denimcratic, Wildrootz, E.L.V. and Chereshnivska reject mass production, echoing the past while redefining rebellion for the present. Their work stands in direct opposition to corporate overproduction, much like the hippies, punks, and rock stars before them turned denim into a statement against conformity. Where mainstream brands push new trends at breakneck speed, upcycling designers champion longevity, craftsmanship, and sustainability—turning denim’s history of defiance into a modern movement against disposable culture.

"There's a great story behind the democratization of the blue jean in our country,” says Gabriella Meyers, founder and CEO of DENIMCRATIC, “it used to be a working class commodity and has since evolved into being something that’s worn across all demographics of people.”

(  Denim: A Story Still Unfolding  )

It’s a Long Story, but it’s far from over. Denim’s journey from its humble origins to its status as a global fashion icon is a testament to its adaptability and cultural resonance. Whether as a symbol of rebellion, a mark of hard work, or a statement of your style or values, denim has continually reinvented itself to meet the needs of each generation. 

Whether you go for the worn-in comfort of a pair of vintage Levi’s, or a fashion-forward upcycled jean, there’s likely a pair in your wardrobe. Denim continues to write its legacy on a global scale and sometimes, the best stories are the ones that never end.