Whether you are a fan of skinny, slim fit, or straight-cut jeans, you might be familiar with six essential features on these denim trousers that have been popular since 150 years ago.
If you pay great attention to your jeans, you will notice:
- Belt loops
- Waistband
- Back yoke
- Button and rivets
- Coin pocket
- Front and back pocket
Most people will notice these features on every jeans but do you know what these tiny metal round things on the pockets of jeans are for?
You might think that they only serve decorative purposes only. However, they actually play a big role in the history of jeans.
Back in the 1848, the booming industry of gold mining called The Gold Rush made its way in California.
The harsh conditions of mining require the miners to be able to work without worrying about their ‘waist overalls’.
They wanted more durable clothes
Apparently, the miners always found their pants easily wore out with ripped seams. So, one of Leob or Levi Strauss’ customers, Jacob Davis who was a tailor from Reno, Nevada thought of using metal fasteners to hold the pockets and the jeans together.
He discovered that copper rivets can help overcome the tearing problem.
Soon, his riveted pants became popular in Reno.
So, Davis wanted to patent his idea. However, he did not have enough funds to do so which led him to writing a letter to Strauss and offered him a deal.
Needless to say, Strauss and his partners accepted Davis’s idea and they proceeded with the paperwork. Not long after that, Strauss began to produce copper-riveted jeans.
Luckily for Davis, his idea was patented on May 20, 1873 and he also became Strauss’ production manager.
Thanks to Davis, we can now enjoy wearing a pair of jeans that last us a lifetime!
