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The term 'denim' originates from its production in the Nimes region of France, where it was known as Serge de Nimes. The fabric itself is marked by the cotton twill construction which gives it both the characteristic diagonal pattern and the thick durability which has made it a popular material for making into overalls for workers since its inception. Today Denim is most commonly found in Denim Jeans, usually with five pockets and a fly. Many different cuts of Denim Jeans are available, for both men and women. Indigo dye is predominantly used to dye the fabric blue, and it is one of the properties of indigo dye which makes denim such a special fabric. Indigo dye, especially natural indigo is notoriously bad at staying in the fabric, meaning that worn and washed fabric loses its blue coloring over time. This fading process is one of the key characteristics that differentiates denim from other traditional workwear fabrics and in part accounts for much of its enduring popularity. But denim like many other fabrics has a much greater cultural significance than its initial workwear beginnings. One of the first associations which comes to mind when thinking about denim is with the cowboy or western. Denim Jeans are worn by the likes of Clint Eastwood in the Serge Leone's spaghetti western trilogy and the Marlborough Men in the famous advertisements, because of these and many other instances their has been built up a strong association between Denim and the Wild Western Frontier, something which denim brands have not overlooked in their advertising campaign. It is also clear that Denim is a very masculine fabric with its workwear history and rugged durable texture it has become a widely understood signifier connotating masculinity. This masculine connotation has been juxtaposed by fashion designers with feminine cuts and feminine garments, such as denim skirts. Obviously at the time when jeans first became available they would not be available to women who did not wear overalls or work pants, since the 60's however denim has become just as popular with the female fashion follower, and is now a staple item in any woman’s wardrobe. In the 1980s an artificial aging technique known as stonewashing became very popular; this involved washing the raw jeans with pumice stones. The abrasion of the stones fades the denim all over creating a very light sky blue coloring. Acids and other chemicals are also frequently used to dramatically alter the color of jeans. Recently there has been a trend amongst the fashion conscious, especially streetwear enthusiasts, to buy rigid raw denim. Especially what is called selvedge denim. Raw denim, unlike prewashed or distressed jeans are not artificially aged or distressed like the majority of mass produced denim. This unwashed denim will fade and age giving your jeans their own individual finish, aged by natural wear and unique to the one person who has worn them in. It is common for people to wear their jeans for months and even years without washing them to maximize the contrast of the fading and distressing. One downside to wearing raw denim is the transfer of the dye onto furniture and anything else that comes into contact with the jeans. Especially popular amongst denim enthusiasts is the thicker and higher quality selvedge denim. Selvedge is more durable than mass produced denim because it is woven on traditional shuttle looms which produce a much tighter weave to the fabric. Buyers can spot selvedge denim by the neat join on the inside of the leg opening, which unlike chain stitched denim uses the tidy edge of the piece of fabric and does not require cutting, this is done to minimize waste of this more valuable fabric. Here you can usually see the two stripes of color used by manufacturers to differentiate different types of fabric during denim construction. The raw selvedge denim trend can be traced back to the popularity of Japanese brand Evisu in the 1990s and more recently other Japanese brands like Edwin, Skull Jeans and also European manufacturers like Nudie and Cheap Monday. Japanese selvedge is probably the most sought after type of denim as it is considered to have the greatest quality. Another recent trend has been the introduction of extremely tight fitting, 'skinny fit' jeans. These are constructed using elasthane woven into the fabric to give stretch and a more comfortable fit. Brands like Dior Homme and April 77 have taken this look and applied it to menswear. This is testament to Denims constantly evolving cultural significance. What began as a workwear garment has been assimilated by subcultures and high fashion alike. Every subculture seems to have its own signature cut of denim jeans, with baggier styles for hip hop followers for instance, or the skin tight jeans associated with the heavy metal scene. Denim brands often embellish the back pockets of their denim with a unique embroidered pattern, the most well know is almost certainly the Levi's arciature, which appears on nearly every pair of Levis jeans, other than a brief break during the Second World War, has done since the 1870's.
Article Source: http://www.articles247.info
Terrence Jones is a fashion student in London, focusing on designer menswear
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