Jeans are great, you can wipe your dirty hands on them, you can play around in the mud with them, they’re so great Fatboy Slim even made a song about them. But as with everything else in the world, there’s some strange facts and figures when it comes to these universal blue trousers.
Read on!
1. Blue jeans are illegal in North Korea
Blue denim is seen as a symbol of American imperialism to the North Korean officials, and it was banned under Kim Jong Il’s rule.
2. George W. Bush banned jeans in the White House 6 days into his presidency
His first act after moving into the White House wasn’t something sweeping like ordering an airstrike, it was to prohibit denim, something that the Clinton administration had made popular.
3. Making of one pair of Levi 501s requires 37 separate sewing operations
4. Jeans were originally called ‘waist overalls’
5. When jeans get washed, the dye fades in a unique pattern. The FBI has used the pattern in identifying suspects and getting convictions
That’s like something straight out of a movie. They analyze the unique wear patterns of denim jeans and compare them to photographs taken from crime scenes.
6. The indigo colour for jeans was initially chosen as it hides dirt and dust well
What is dirt other than just another protective layer, am I right?
7. In Japan, you can buy jeans through vending machines
8. Over 50% of denim is produced in China, India, and Bangladesh
The production of jeans worldwide is primarily in Asia, and specifically in these 3 countries.
9. In the 50s, blue jeans were banned in the USA at places like schools and theatres as they were seen as a form of rebellion
10. Almost 325 pairs of jeans can be made from one bale of cotton
11. A pair of Secret Circus jeans cost $1.3 million and are the world’s most expensive jeans
The design includes 15 diamonds that include large rocks.
12. There was once a car that was completely denim themed
American Motor Company, in collaboration with Levi’s, produced the Indigo Blue Gremlin, that even had denim seats. Nasty.
13. The word ‘denim’ comes from the name of the French city, Nimes. ‘De Nimes’ means ‘of Nimes’
14. At one point of time, women’s jeans used to have zippers on the side, not the front
15. Skinny jeans aren’t made using pure cotton but elastene to give them an elastic component
Who knew something so commonly worn could have a background so varied and strange. All I know is, I think I need to go back to wearing them!