Denim is more than just a cotton fabric; it inspires strong opinions within the
hearts of historians, designers, teenagers, movie stars, reporters and writers. Interest
bordering on passion can be found among textile and costume historians today, especially in the debate over the true origins of denim. These experts have put decades of work into their research; here are summarized the prevailing opinions about the birth of denim, followed by a discussion of the way Levi Strauss & Co. has helped to contribute to denim’s movement around the world.
In 1969 a writer for American Fabrics magazine declared, “Denim is one of the
world’s oldest fabrics, yet it remains eternally young.” If continuous use of and interest
in an item makes it “eternally young” then denim certainly qualifies. From the 17th
century to the present, denim has been woven, used and discarded; made into upholstery, pants and awnings; found in museums, attics, antique stores and archaeological digs; worn as the fabric of hard honest work, and as the expression of angry rebellion; used for the sails of Columbus’ ships in legend; and worn by American cowboys in fact. Legend and fact are also interwoven when scholars discuss the origin of the name denim itself. Most reference books say that denim is an English corruption of the French “serge de Nimes;” a serge fabric from the town of Nimes in France. However, some scholars have begun to question this tradition.
There are a few schools of thought with regard to the derivation of the word
“denim.” Pascale Gorguet-Ballesteros, of the Musee de la Mode et du Costume in Paris,
has done some interesting research on both of these issues. A fabric called “serge de
Nimes,” was known in France prior to the 17th century. At the same time, there was also
a fabric known in France as “nim.” Both fabrics were composed partly of wool.
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