The First Jeans Added to the Exhibition, Dressing the Body

Thanks to a donation by Jean Claude Messana, Dressing the Body has recently added another historical piece to its permanent exhibtion. A pair of Levi's, made in the 1950's, are the first jeans to become part of the DHUB's collections.

Jeans are made of a resistent cotton-blend material known as denim originally made in Nimes, France and from where it gets its name (de Nimes). Jeans received their name when they were used in the 15th century by the Genovese navy, which is Gênes in French.

In 1872, Levi Strauss, an American businessman used jeans as work clothing for miners but it wasn't until the 1950's, that they became popular among American youth. A few years later, during the 1960's, they arrived in Europe, and have been a key piece in everyone's wardrobe ever since.