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There is often some confusion between denim and jean. However, they are two very distinct materials whose paths crossed a long time ago and are now almost inseparable! So what makes them different and how can you tell them apart? Here's the answer !
Contrary to what people might think, jean doesn't necessarily refer to trousers, as it's a fabric made from cotton, wool, linen or hemp. It appeared in the 13th century in northern Italy and was first called « Genoa cloth » in reference to the city that produced it. It’s used as a fabric for work clothing, as it’s extremely strong. It’s also used for linings and underwear.
Over time, weaving techniques evolved and it was in the 18th century that cotton twill began to gain popularity in England. This is a weave that creates diagonal lines for a softer, less wrinkled effect on trousers. Jean was soon so successful that it was produced in large quantities around Lancashire. It was then dyed brown or ecru and finally took on the name ”Jean”, in reference to the town of Genoa where it originated. Finally, it was not until 1853 that Levi Strauss started to create denim work trousers and laid the foundations of the famous Levis brand.
The origin of the word denim is still being debated! Initially, it is thought to have come from the French city of Nîmes, which has been using the twill technique since the 16th century. Denim would therefore have been the contraction of "de Nîmes" and would have then passed into common language. Unlike jean, denim is a 100% cotton fabric that does not use linen or wool fibres. This is why its creation is attributed to England, where the Nîmes weaving technique would have been adopted and used with a cotton base. This technique was then widely exported throughout Europe and especially to America, which is the world's leading exporter of cotton.
The other difference between denim and jean is that denim is not dyed at all. This is why denim tends to gradually fade over time to such a particular colour. Widely sought after for its less rigid character and soft texture, it remains much more pleasant to wear and quickly becomes essential for the work clothes of the time.
In the 1800s, denim was a fabric widely used for workwear in the United States. It was used to dress slaves who worked in the cotton fields. At the time, it was not a pair of trousers, but rather a type of heavy dungarees called « over-alls ». In 1853, Lévi-Strauss met the tailor Davis, who had to make a pair of robust trousers for a lumberjack. He made a few modifications to the garment, adding copper rivets to reinforce the fabric at the points of wear and tear and at the pockets. And so the famous denim jeans were born!
It was such a success that he filed a patent in 1873 and improved his fastening system. A few years later, he added double stitching for even greater strength and the straps were replaced by belt loops. These trousers quickly became emblematic and began to be worn by women and children. In 1930, denim jeans were associated with cowboys in country-chic advertisements and gradually won over the younger generation in the 1950s by being worn by bikers on Harley-Davidsons. The history of jeans and denim is a love story that has lasted for 150 years ! And still to this day, denim remains a safe bet because of its flexibility, softness and extreme longevity !
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