What is denim fabric

What is denim fabric?
Denim is one of the most iconic fabrics in the world. When you say the word "denim jeans," everyone around you knows what you're talking about. The popularity of denim crosses national and cultural boundaries, and denim has become a symbol of American culture around the world.

However, what exactly is denim? Where did this fabric come from, and why has its popularity continued over the decades? We dig into all these questions and more as we tell you everything you need to know about denim fabric.

The History of Denim Fabric
The word "denim" comes from the French serge de Nimes, referring to a special fabric produced in the French town of Nimes. Over time, this warped cotton weave style became popular throughout the region and spread to neighboring Italy.

The city of Genoa quickly became the largest producer of Nimes Serge in the world. Since Genoa's French name is "gene," the name "jeans" stuck when the fabric came back into fashion during the American Gold Rush.

Denim Fabrics Today
Denim fabric has been widely used in jeans since the 1850s. In American culture, no other item of clothing has endured as long as blue jeans, making that pair of Levi's in your closet a relic.

Over time, American textile manufacturers began using denim to create other apparel, and today you can even buy home decor products made from this durable and beautiful fabric. While the production of blue jeans was once limited to the United States, the manufacturing exodus of the late 20th century caused most denim production to move overseas.

There are too many variations of denim fabric to list them all these days, and as designers frantically exploit the latest trends in denim fashion, it's been getting sickly mixed with other fabrics and weave styles. Still, the traditional Levi 501 remains immensely popular around the world, and a niche industry has emerged around "raw denim," part of every hipster's lingo. Global interest in denim remains strong, and as long as cotton remains a staple textile product, the fabric will likely remain produced.