Trends, shapes and colours come and go - but denim always stays. Everyone’s favourite bottom-wear material has travelled centuries, crossed borders and survived more trend cycles than we care to count. The history of denim is anything but boring - and once you know it, you’ll gain a whole new appreciation for your favourite pair of jeans. Wanna bet?
Where does denim actually come from?
The history of denim is a very long one and it begins long before it became a wardrobe staple. While there are a lot of different theories about its origins, the most widely accepted theory traces the origin of denim back to 17th-century France, more specifically the city of Nîmes. Weavers were attempting to replicate a durable Italian fabric, they accidentally developed a sturdy cotton-twill blend that was baptised ‘Serge de Nîmes’. Over time, that name developed into the shorter ‘denim’ that we know today.
But - and here comes our personal favourite part - Italy also played a huge role.
In the 16th century, sailors in Genoa have reportedly been wearing work trousers made out of sturdy, indigo-dyed cotton blends. These were referred to as ‘bleu de Gênes’ which - who would’ve guessed - later on evolved into the word ‘jeans’. So, you could say that everyone’s darling is the result of an unknowing and involuntary collaboration between France and Italy.
Denim was never meant to be fashionable
Fast forward to the 19th century and denim found itself somewhere far less romantic than European ports: the American Gold Rush.
Enter the person we’ve all been waiting to read: Levi Strauss - because there’s no way to talk about denim without mentioning the Bavarian mastermind. After immigrating to the US as a young man, he settled down in San Francisco in 1853 with the hope to make a good living. Fashion wasn’t really what he had on his mind at the time. Instead, he sold various dry goods that workers and settlers in the Bay area might be interested in.
In comes the so-called Gold Rush, aka James W.Marshall’s discovery of gold in the mines at Sutter’s Mill which brought over 100.000 people to California between 1848 and 1855. Besides their common goal to make a living, the miners had a complaint in common as well: their work pants weren’t durable enough for the job.
Enter Jacob Davis, the Latvian-born American tailor without whom you, me and your mom would’ve never known the comfort and confidence a good pair of stretchy, flattering jeans can give. At the time, he was working at his atelier in Nevada, working on the same issue that miners were complaining about to Strauss. His solution? Reinforcing the weak spots of the trousers, such as pocket corners, with copper rivets which he got from - you guessed it - Levi Strauss.
In 1873, the two pulled their finances together to patent the discovery of these riveted work pants which would later on become the blueprint for our contemporary jeans.
From workers to rebels - the history of denim continues
What started off as a work-only thing evolved into a lifestyle. The shift happened gradually throughout the first half of the 20th century and by 1950, the denim jeans had become the uniform of youth rebellion.
Icons such as James Dean and Marlon Brando only added to its appeal. At the time, jeans were worn with T-Shirts and substantial cuffs, giving them an effortless vibe that parents hated and teenaged strived for. Denim wasn’t all about function anymore, but became a symbol for the youth.
Over the following decades, jeans continued to change its shape - from flared embroidered types in the 1970s over acid washed fits in the 1980s up to the 1990s baggy styles. The fabric continued to adapt and shape into something fitting current feelings and trends.
At its core, denim is unbiased and adaptable. It doesn’t belong to a certain age group, gender, time frame, body type or aesthetic. That’s probably the main reason why it has never gone out of style, but simply changed its design.
Denim in 2026: still relevant, just reinvented
Even in a season like SS26 - known for its bold silhouettes and colourful touch - denim stays in the picture. This time, in form of barrel jeans, wide legs, palazzo-style denim, structured denim jackets or even denim skirts.
Depending on the decades and centuries, the shape in which everyone’s darling fabric appeared continued to evolve and so did its audience - from Italian sailors and French weavers over American miners and now fashion’s biggest runways and everyone’s mums. What stayed the same, was the fabric itself. And maybe that’s the lesson we all need to learn from this brief history of denim: it’s all about adapting without losing your identity.
