Poster:

The first pair of blue jeans emerged in U.S.A. by Levi Strauss Andamp; Co. for working classes in 1873. Since then, this pair of pants has assumed a character of youth icon and a banner of fashion democratization, being nowadays a part of everyone’s wardrobe (Nii, 2012). This company gave various activist meanings to jeans, projecting it to different groups like racial, labour or female sexual liberation movements (Fiske, 1989). Looking at the past, fashion activism was much more evident in XX century than it is nowadays. There were seen big changes in the way of wear and designing fashion, since the pants adoption by women in the early XX century, to youth rebellious way of dressing in the second half of XX century. At this time, the values of elegance and good taste were disregarded in favour of looking young (Lipovetsky, 2007). The jeans are very liberating in the sense that reveal very little about the social status and wearing worn and washed out pieces had become something common since the late 50’s. Young groups did not have only desire to individual expression, but also activist opinions about their culture, political and social environment. Even those who were against the current system would see that fashion and style was something essential to their cultural and political struggle (Ewen, 1990). However, today’s social jeans activism aspect has been dimmed.