denim Dictionary
– The most common style of jean; they have two back pockets, two front pockets and a coin pocket inside the right front pocket. Today, almost every pair of jeans made has five pockets, riveted or not. But the original Levi's prototype from 1873 had only three - two on the front and one on the back. In 1890, the watch pocket was added, which is now called the coin pocket. Not until 1905 did Levi add the fifth and final back pocket to the 501XX jeans. Today, five pockets are considered the industry standard.
FIVE POCKET JEANS
– The 5th pocket, also called watch or match pocket. Is strictly functional, it sits inside the right front pocket and justifies the term five-pocket jeans. Initially, the coin pocket was meant to hold a watch and first appeared in 1890. Since then, it has become smaller and smaller, but still functional for many. Today many denim heads use this area to create more fades.
COIN POCKET
– Metal accessory that is used to reinforce stress points as well as for non-functional embellishments on the jeans.
Jacob W. Davis first used rivets on a pair of trousers he was producing for a lumberjack. While working on the trousers, he happened to notice a pile of rivets he had been using for horse blankets. He hammered them onto the pocket corners because he thought it would make the trousers last a while longer.
RIVET
- Describes someone who is a passionate lover of denim. These individuals are so passionate about denim that they think about it all the time (that is where the name comes from) and it's part of their day-to-day routine - either wearing the same pair of jeans for months on end and/or becoming more involved in the denim community.
DENIM HEAD
– Raw or unwashed denim is denim that has not undergone the usual washing and wear processes. Unwashed denim allows the wearer to fit the trousers to their unique shape, with creases and wear marks that fit their body. For the first few months (3-6 months) of wear, it is recommended that you do not wash your jeans to allow the wrinkles and faded areas to fully develop. If you do eventually wash your jeans, you can follow our washing tips.
RAW DENIM
– Denim is traditionally graded by its weight per yard of fabric at a width of 29 inches and ranges from light to medium to heavy. Most denims weigh between 5 oz (light) and 20 oz (heavy).
WEIGHT
- Originally called "self-edge", selvage is the narrow, tightly weaved band on both edges of a denim fabric. A selvedge ensures the edge of the denim fabric does not peel and provides a clean, finished look. Selvedge denim is made from denim woven on a shuttle loom with a narrow width weft throughout and is generally more high-priced than regular denim.
SELVEDGE DENIM
- A fabric made of blue cotton in the warp and white cotton in the weft. This material is mostly used to make jeans, e.g. raw denim jeans. Denim jeans were originally known as workwear and became popular for their durability.
Despite its humble origins, denim is now a staple in almost every wardrobe, usually in the form of jeans. It is almost always indigo-dyed and has diagonal ribbing that is clearly visible on the back of the fabric. Traditionally, denim is made only from cotton, but nowadays it is often mixed with other fibers such as Lycra or spandex to give the material some stretch.