26 February: Blue Jeans

February 26 is Blue Jeans day, because Levi Strauss, creator of the world's first blue jeans, was born in Bavaria on this date in 1829. So here are 10 things you never knew about blue jeans.

1. The word "jeans" derives from the Italian city of Genoa, which was known as Gênes in France. It was possibly as far back as the 1500s when denim was invented there to make uniforms for the Italian navy. The word "denim" derives from the French "de Nimes" because the fabric was also made in the French city of Nimes.
2. Why are jeans Blue? The simple answer is that they were first invented as work wear and were called "waist overalls" - blue was the colour deemed least likely to show the dirt. However, in the early days of jeans, there was also a brown "duck" shade of denim; but this fabric wasn't as comfortable to wear as the blue, and it was eventually dropped. The blue colour comes from indigo dye, which was an easily available plant based dye, although it is made synthetically nowadays.
3. Why do the front pockets have rivets? Again, a simple answer - they made the pockets stronger. Early jeans had rivets in the back pockets, too, but they tended to scratch things people sat on, like saddles and were dropped.
4. Levi Strauss jeans use Orange thread to match the pocket rivets. This is a distinguishable feature and is trademarked.
5. Levi Strauss never wore jeans himself. They were made as work wear for the lower classes, so, as a wealthy businessman, he didn't need them.
6. 37 sewing operations are required to make one pair of Levi 501 jeans.
7. The oldest known pair of Levi's jeans were found in 1997 at a California mine; they were over 100 years old. The jeans were sold at auction to a Japanese collector for $60 000. These are not the most expensive jeans ever, though. That accolade goes to a pair of Secret Circus jeans which cost $1.3 million and included 15 large diamonds in the design.
8. Approximately 450 million pairs of jeans are sold in the USA every year, and every American, on average, owns seven pairs.
9. That doesn't mean everyone loves them. They have been banned from schools, clubs and workplaces as a symbol of rebellion. George W. Bush banned jeans in the White House 6 days into his presidency. It comes as no surprise that jeans are banned in North Korea because the authorities there see them as a symbol of American imperialism.
10. Jeans can help solve crimes. When jeans are washed, the dye fades in a unique pattern, so every pair of jeans has its own "fingerprint" once it has been laundered. Police can analyse the unique wear patterns of denim jeans belonging to suspects, and compare them to photographs taken from crime scenes. So if you're planning to rob a bank, wear brand new jeans which haven't been washed!

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