Durable denim: jeans and the economy

mens 6 pockets denim Jeans cargo pants

As with any recession, where there are losers, there are almost always winners too. Whilst the clothing industry on the whole has been adversely affected by the worldwide economic decline, denim jeans have reportedly fared a lot better. 

As purse strings tighten, the public’s sense of style hasn’t exactly been put on the back-burner, but achieving more ‘bang for your buck’ has been a key underlying philosophy. This is perhaps why denims have continued to perform well in comparison to other garments, given that jeans are more durable and last longer than lighter-weight material. 

The jeans industry is very competitive with countless new brands joining the vast list of already-established labels in the past few years. Having such a large number of brands to choose from also means that consumers have their pick from stylish top of the range denim trousers, to practical ‘wear at work’ types that really won’t break the bank. 

Among the classic brands that we’ve all grown to love, Levi’s are probably the most widely identifiable makes of jeans. They are named after Levi Strauss, a German-Jewish man who immigrated to New York in 1847, and then subsequently set up a denim clothing firm in San Francisco in 1853. 

It wasn’t until the 1870s when Levi Strauss joined forced with a Nevada tailor called Jacob Davis that the true durable denim innovation came about. Together, they patented the process of inserting metal rivets on the stress points on waist-high overalls, which were known as ‘jeans’ at the time. Levi Strauss opted for denim fabric on these aprons and put his own name on the product.

By the 1950s – perhaps due in part to silver screen icons such as James Dean – demand for denim trousers (or more specifically, ‘Levi's jeans’) exceeded the interest in denim waist overalls. As with anything in life, where there’s demand, supply isn’t normally far behind and Levi’s were joined by a number of other denim producers and the jeans industry has gone from strength to strength ever since. 

Mens jeans come in all shapes and sizes, from skinny all the way through to flared, and popular culture movements such as punk and grunge have been influencing the ‘in styles’ for decades. 

However, whilst style will always be important for many denim wearers across the globe, it’s their durability and ruggedness that has been chiefly responsible for their sustained success. With a myriad of brands and price tags, the economic downturn has helped to demonstrate more than ever that people simply love denim.