These 5 facts about blue jeans will surprise everyone!

Since Levi Strauss, an immigrant from Germany who owns a fancy goods in San Francisco, joined in the 1870s with Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada, to release solid pants for miners, Americans began an affair with blue jeans. Here are five facts about the most democratic pants that you may not know.

1. The rivets originally had a goal

Fact: Originally Levy made copper rivets on pockets not for style. They were designed to make the seams near the pockets stronger. In a 1873 article in the Pacific Rural Press, it was said that this function would become quite popular among workers: "Nothing can be more embarrassing than breaking clothes in the workplace, and no other piece of clothing is prone to tearing like pockets."

The small fifth pocket on jeans Levi, by the way, was called a pocket for watches, so it was originally intended for them (in those days many wore pocket watches).

In the 1930s, the rivets were removed, since complaints began that they were scratching the furniture, but in 1947 they were returned.

2. Blue paint is the best paint

The words "jeans" and "denim" originated from the name of two port cities, in which they produced similar cotton fabric from the Middle Ages. In Nîmes (France), they tried to reproduce material that became widely known in the Italian city of Genoa. Instead, the weavers invented a new fabric and called it "serge de Nim", which was later reduced to "denim". It is this material that Strauss used to produce pants.

The yarns of the fabric were dyed with indigo, a natural dye that had a unique property among other natural colors - to bind to fabric threads from the outside. This means that each time the tissue is washed, some of the dye molecules (and the tissues along with it) are removed. This process softens the rough material, making jeans more comfortable and "sitting down" on the figure. In modern production for painting used synthetic indigo.

3. Ranch-boarding houses made jeans popular among Americans

Although people often associate jeans with cowboys, records show that relatively few of them preferred such clothes (miners and farmers were more inclined to it). In everyday life jeans pants came in the 1930s, thanks to the enthusiasm of ranch-boarding houses. In the Depression era, ranch owners earned extra money, allowing rich people to visit boarding houses, learn horse riding and "play cowboys." Many Americans bought their first pair of jeans for an upcoming trip to the ranch, so later they began to be associated with clothes "for the weekend."

4. Film stars popularized jeans among teenagers

In 1955, James Dean filmed a classic teenage film "Rebel without a cause", showing rebellion including in style - the protagonist wore blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a leather jacket. Marlon Brando wore the same thing in "Dick" (1953), and Marilyn Monroe displayed a similar outfit (minus jacket) in "The Uncaused" (1966). "Cowboy" style symbolized insubordination to society and its framework, and also smoothed out class distinctions, which history remembered at all times.

In fact, in the 1950s, jeans products were banned in schools, which further enhanced the influence of such clothing as a symbol of "fighting power." Whether in spite of, or because of this, jeans pants became firmly associated with youth culture, both in the 50's, and in the 60's and on. Then these teenagers became adults and continued to wear their favorite clothes.

5. They may become unpopular or even be banned

Jeans have always been closely related to America and American values. Some people love them because of this, but because of this, they can not be loved. A few years ago, the media reported that Americans constantly wear jeans products to appear more "athletic", and perceive them as leggings or yoga leggings. But now newspaper articles are increasingly indicative of the bad incomes of companies that produce such clothes. Levi Strauss reported a modest profit for the first quarter of 2017, and VF Brands, which produce popular once Lee and Wrangler, reported even losses. But at the moment it is still difficult to imagine that all Americans stopped wearing the traditional "American" product, and jeans clothes disappeared from the fashion shows.

And that's strange: in North Korea, jeans have been banned to eradicate Western influence on the culture of society. For violation of the ban can be in the labor camp.