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Blue jeans are as American as eating a hot dog at a baseball game. But have you ever stopped to wonder why most of us have blue jeans and not red, purple, or green jeans? To help answer this colorful question, we turn to our friends at Slate.
Blue jeans, otherwise known as denim, became wildly popular in the American west during the California Gold Rush. This period in the mid-1800s saw 300,000 people pack up their lives and head west in search of fortune.
Searching, or “prospecting,” for gold was tough work, as prospectors would dig into the side of mountains and pan for gold that had made its way into rivers and streams, and they needed durable clothing to help them. Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis saw an opportunity not in gold, but in selling clothes to the tens of thousands of people arriving every year. They teamed up to create indigo-washed dungarees with steel rivets on the side to add extra strength.
So why did they use indigo (blue) to color their jeans instead of another option? It has to do with the characteristic of indigo. While most other colors penetrate deep inside clothing, indigo stays on the surface of the threads. This means that when clothing colored with indigo is washed, some of the threads and coloring is removed in the process.
Over time and cleanings, jeans colored with indigo become softer and more comfortable as well as get that “worn in” look we all love.
Blue jeans are blue - or indigo - because they need to be tough and withstand a hard day's work, but also be soft and comfortable. And while many of those in search of gold never found their fortune, Levi Strauss’ blue jeans became wildly popular, and the company is still selling denim 150 years later.
Looking for more Never Stop Asking "Why?" questions? Catch up on all of the past "Whys" on the blog!
