Certain icons represent America: apple pie, stars and stripes, bald eagles, baseball, and, of course, blue jeans.

The American jeans phenomenon all started back in 1853 during the California Gold Rush. Because of the number of people flocking to the area every day, items like pants were in short supply.

It wasn’t long before this problem was brought to the attention of a German immigrant who was selling canvas for wagon covers and tents. Upon learning about the demand for durable work pants, he decided to go into business making pants for the miners.

Today, we know this German entrepreneur as none other than Levi Strauss, the creator of Levi’s blue jeans.

Since then, blue jeans have become a part of American history. They were worn by cowboys in the 1930s, off-duty soldiers in the 1940s, rebels in the 1950s and hippies in the 1960s. It wasn’t until the 1980s that jeans were welcomed into the high-fashion industry.

During the 1980s, designer jeans became wildly popular. Some of the more famous designers included names like Jordache, Calvin Klein, Guess and Gloria Vanderbilt.

Today, designer jeans are still incredibly popular.

Since 2000, a California-based company called 7 For All Man Kind perpetuated the designer-jean legacy with record-breaking numbers. The jeans, better known as “Sevens,” are renowned for their innovative designs as well as their excellent fit and quality.

Sevens are available at just about any high-end department store and are priced anywhere from $130 to over $200.

Other popular designer brands include Paper Denim & Cloth, Juicy, True Religion and, yes, even Wrangler has gotten in on the designer market.

So next time you’re wriggling into your favorite pair of jeans for a night on the town or a day at work, whether they are Sevens or Levi’s, take pride in the fact that you’ll be wearing a piece of American history at its most fashionable.

Sources: designboom.com, britannica.com, about.com, inthe80s.com, 7forallmankind.com, and bloomingdales.com

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