Blue jeans began as durable work trousers for miners in the 1870s, then moved from practical labor wear to a global standard shaped by denim, film, music, and changing style. Their history explains why they still endure: they are strong, adaptable, and easy to wear, cut, and repurpose.
Essential Concepts
1871 to 1873: Jacob W. Davis, Levi Strauss, rivets, mining work
Denim from France
Workwear to mass fashion
Durable, adaptable, easy to alter