Upcoming Documentary Details the History Behind Blue Jeans
Denim today is a wardrobe staple. In fact, it’s so ubiquitous that at any given moment, about half the global population is donning denim.
Although they have an international presence, jeans are interwoven with the history of the United States. They’ve been worn by major figures—from celebrities to politicians. Denim is also versatile, finding its way into the wardrobes of hippies, hip-hop aficionados and stars, and high-fashion collectors.
The commonly told history of jeans centers on workwear in the late 1800s and Levi Strauss. But its beginnings go back further. A new documentary from PBS’ American Experience series aims to provide a bigger-picture look at the origins of the blue jeans in our closets today. Included in the film is a look at the global roots of denim fabrics. The documentary also traces denim’s ties to slavery, including the “slave cloth” textile that was a precursor to denim. Early indigo cultivation in the South also benefitted from enslaved people’s knowledge of the plant.
Denim has taken on a number of cultural meanings over its history. In the early 1900s, it was associated with cowboys and the ranch lifestyle that came along with it. Later, jeans became a symbol of youthful rebellion, and hippies and civil rights organizers chose denim as their protest attire. By the 1970s, jeans became a universal, huge industry and designer jeans took off. Among the experts interviewed for the film is designer Tommy Hilfiger, whose creations were worn by hip-hop artists as a means of self-expression and subversion.
“Jeans are the perfect, quintessentially American item through which to examine the complex story of America,” said Cameo George, executive producer of American Experience. “They reflect their times and provide a unique and unexpected starting point for discussions of race, gender, class and culture. And they’re also one of the few things we all agree on—we all love our jeans!”
“Riveted: The History of Jeans” will debut on Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. ET across PBS stations, pbs.org and the PBS video app. Watch the trailer below for a sneak peek of the film.