Articles of Interest 5. Blue Jeans
Dec 10, 2018
Learn about the history and wear of blue jeans, the significance of indigo as a cash crop, the environmental impact of denim production, and strategies to minimize the footprint through repair and continued use.
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Backyard Indigo Dyeing
- Avery Trufelman and Lucasa Brampman mixed an indigo vat and dyed shirts in a backyard to demonstrate natural indigo dyeing.
- The shirts came out green then slowly developed blue patches as they oxidized and dried in the sun.
Jeans as Wearable Archaeology
- Old jeans act like archaeological artifacts that record how people moved and lived through wear patterns and patches.
- Tracy Panick and archive pieces show jeans can reveal multiple owners and specific sitting or walking marks.
Rivets Made Jeans Practical
- Levi Strauss's real innovation was adding metal rivets to pockets, not inventing denim itself.
- Rivets solved a practical durability problem and became the defining selling point for jeans.