Denim is a fabled fabric with a real rags-to-riches story. Originally conceived in Italy, denim was later reborn in France as a fabric known as serge de Nimes. Nimes is the name of the city in France where it was first milled. Also known as jean or jeane, denim became the base fabric for blue jeans, later popularized by Levi Strauss.
Long before denim became de rigeuer, it was little more than well-worn workwear for miners during America’s great gold rush. In fact, for the first half of the 20th century, denim was considered a working-class fabric not worn in high society.
Then, when pretty-boy pop stars like Elvis Presley, James Dean, and Marlon Brando donned denim, the once-and-future fabric made the leap from blue collar to blue blood. Hollywood was America’s aristocracy; when it donned denim, Americans did too. Today, denim endures in the firmament of fashion, forever found in the collections of top fashion houses.
