Blue Jeans and Denim

785 Words2 Pages

Jeans have become one of the most popular articles of casual dress around the world. Nothing speaks louder than consumers’ demand; estimated over 800 million pairs of blue jeans are produced worldwide, which represents a multi-billion dollar business. According to market-research firm NPD Group, Americans bought $13.8 billion of jeans in the year ended April 30, 2011. Another resource claims that North America alone accounts for 39% of global purchases of jeans, followed by Western Europe at 20%, Japan and Korea at 10%, and the rest of the world at 31%.

The story behind the birth of jeans emerges from an interesting collaboration between an innovative tailor and a bright businessman. In 1853, Levi Strauss established a whole dry goods business in San Francisco, selling clothing and many other products to small general stores all through the west of America. One of many regular costumers was Jacob Davis, a tailor in Reno Nevada, who used to purchase his work material from the whole sale house of Levi Strauss & Co. At some point, Davis invented the process to rivet the pocket corners on men’s pants to make them stronger. Having earned great success, Davis decides to write to Levi Strauss, suggesting that they jointly apply for a patent; and Levi agreed. Consequently, in 1873, Levi Strauss & Jacob Davis are granted a patent on the process of riveting pants by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 20. It is patent number 139,121 and this is the invention of the blue jeans.

The great reception towards blue jeans is owing to their extremely sturdy and long lasting material. This is because the indigo warp was heavily sized with starch, and the denim fabrics were woven into a very tight structure. On the other hand, this made blu...

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...process adds from 10 to 15 percent to the price of the fabric, industries still save money because more products can be made in less time. Therefore increasing profits, as well as, reflecting the savings onto the consumers. Other advantages of ‘biostoning’ include, enzymes can be recycled, reduced strain on the industrial washing machines, shorter treatment times, and imperfections are significantly reduced, hence increasing productivity and efficiency. Consequently, this saves the environment by reducing water consumption and waste pollution. The elimination of pumice powder and dust creates a less intensive and safer working condition. However, one problem with biostoning was "back staining" this occurs when loosened dye particles redeposit onto the surface of the fabric, causing discoloration. Such setback can be immensely reduced by optimizing running conditions.

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