Denim is everything and nothing at the same time—gender less, season less, and really timeless. We've picked this year's finest mindful denim companies by region for you, from frayed shorts to loose vintage-wash jeans.


Brief history on denim

The word "jean" was used to describe a variety of casual cotton or denim trousers during the 20th century. The most recognizable jeans, known as "classics," were constructed from indigo-dyed denim and had pockets and strong riveting appropriate for work-wear. Jacob Davis, a tailor, and Levi Strauss, the proprietor of a wholesale fabric business in San Francisco, filed a patent for these "jeans" in 1873.

Belt loops first appeared in 1922, and zippers replaced button fly on some styles in 1954. Over the course of the century, design advancements were made: Strauss added a double arch of orange stitching for additional reinforcement and to identify them as Levi's. However, after Strauss and Davis' patent expired in 1890, other producers were free to copy the design. Market entry dates for Oshkosh B'Gosh, Blue Bell (later Wrangler), and Lee Mercantile are 1895, 1904, and 1911, respectively. These western-styled work pants were replaced and made more common by youth counter-culture by the middle of the 20th century. Particularly in the 1960s and early 1970s, hippies and anti-war protesters wore jeans to show support for the working class, while feminists and women's liberation activists wore blue jeans to symbolize gender equity.The "equitable spirit" of denim persisted into the late 20th century, with jeans emerging as a universally affordable symbol of fast fashion.