How blue cloth from France became Denim from America

Posted by parisha kumari on July 7th, 2017

Contrary to popular belief, the blue denim that has become inseparable from modern life, be it high-fashion or comfortable casual wear, was not born in America, but has its roots in Nimes, in the southern France region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Although Levi Strauss is credited with having created the first blue denim trousers, as well as for coining the name “jeans” in the mid-19th century, the material used by him to stitch the very first “jeans” was a tough cotton fabric known as serge de Nimes, which was dyed blue because indigo was the easiest colour to use.

The year was 1853 and Levi Strauss, a 24-year-old German immigrant, had just left New York for San Francisco because of the Gold Rush happening in California. He opened a dry goods shop there. One day, a customer – who was a prospector in the gold mines - came in to check out his goods. When all he saw was some rough canvas-like cloth for making tents and wagon covers, the customer retorted, “You should have brought pants!”, adding that trousers didn’t last long enough in the mines.

Levi decided to use the blue cloth to make rough overalls, which he named “Jeans” from the word “genoa”, the name of the blue dye, and called the material “denim” from the phrase “serge de-Nimes”. Levi Strauss realised he had struck a gold mine himself after the new Denim Jeans created by him became a huge hit with prospectors as well as miners. Soon, their fame spread across America.

The Denim Shirt Is Back: How To Slay The Look

While the denim as a fabric remains extremely popular in jeans, jackets, belts, and what not, the Denim Shirt, in particular, is back under the spotlight. In fact, it has such a versatile look that it offers both men and women many different ways of wearing it.

According to the fashion manual Idleman, there are two main ways for  a man to wear a Denim Shirt: heavy or light. For those into oversized, casual cool, one can pair the Denim Shirt with a jersey, a jacket and hiking boots, to create the rugged all-male outdoor look. For those preferring a more subtle look, a slim-fit Denim Shirt can be worn in a casual or tailored look: wear it unbuttoned with joggers or dress it up with a tie and blazer. Choose a light blue denim shirt or one with faded wash. A washed out denim works with all skin tones, thankfully, so one always looks fabulous wearing one of these.

The Refinery, into personal style coaching, has not one but 21 stylish ways for Women to wear the Denim Shirt. To begin with, it puts the Denim Shirt on a pedestal by calling it a “classic piece you must own”, adding however, that despite its versatility, the debate about what to wear with it, makes it not worn as much. So, it suggests 21 “bottoms” to pair it with.

The Denim Shirt on Myntra

Myntra brings the Denim Shirt from Forever 21 (solid casual shirt), ONLY (printed, navy blue, faded, washed, round neck, even polka dot), and Vera Moda (regular fit and washed casual). So, one can sport the best of not just American but even European fashion right here in India. Interestingly, Forever 21 was among the first to offer a distressed blue Denim Shirt as well as long Denim Shirt.