Denim: A Fabric Through Time

Sustainability in fashion is no longer a niche concern. The fashion industry is one of the most resource-hungry sectors, contributing immensely to global pollution, and is amongst the worst for unfair, dehumanising labour practices. Denim, one of the most iconic staples of fashion, serves as the perfect case study of the rinse and repeat mantra the fashion industry has sworn by for years.

Denim has served as a second skin to pretty much all walks of life for almost 200 years, with similar fabrics like Calico even dating back to 11th century India. It protected 19th century miners, shaped icons like James Dean, became a trophy for collectors, and is undoubtedly one of the most culturally influential pieces ever. It’s one of the most iconic forms of workwear ever created, and like most good workwear it originated in France. In 1872, tailor Jacob Davis evolved the French fabric into what we now call “blue jeans”, by adding copper rivets to help prevent workers splitting their trousers at the seams. This was later patented by Davis along with Levi Strauss, transforming the jean world forever.

Jeans were born out of a desire to create a resilient product with longevity. It wasn’t feasible in the 1800s to mass-manufacture jeans, and it certainly wasn’t affordable for workers to have to repeatedly buy new workwear. I think this mindset has almost been erased by the fashion industry. The focus is now very much on how to manufacture as much, as quickly, and as cheaply as possible. With pieces rarely lasting more than a few months, people’s pockets are stretched thin by repeat buying items, and landfill sites are stacked high with ruined clothing that’s been discarded. The introduction of fabrics like elastane doesn’t help either. It’s petroleum based, doesn’t biodegrade, breaks down into microplastics, and lingers in soil and water for decades. With every wash, the lifespan of each garment decreases and strips microfibres that end up in our rivers and oceans – harming wildlife. It just goes against what denim was fundamentally made for. It survived the mines, railways, factory floors, farms… but could you imagine that now? Your jeans would be ripped long before lunch.

There’s quite an exciting resurgence at the moment though, with independent denim-makers emerging with a focus on producing really good quality garments that are designed to last a lifetime. Philosophies based on taking pride in the way we design and make things, and how we care for things – not because it’s the easiest or cheapest way to do something, but because it’s better for us and the environment. Companies like Hebden Bridge’s HebTroCo for example, who craft jeans with longevity in mind. They’re designed to be worn, loved, battered, repaired, and at the end of it all hopefully passed on!

British-made jeans come at a cost though, and that cost is the exact reason fast fashion still thrives. It’s not really sustainable to flash half a month’s wage at a few items for 99.9% of the country. As British manufacturing is largely a thing of the past, the few remaining craftsmen are forced to pay huge sums for machinery, fabric, and importantly the hands with the skills to craft. Joe&Co is another brilliant jean maker, and as owner Joe says: “we’ve hardly got any manufacturers in the UK, it’s mainly sweatshops, but that needs to change. It’s coming back, very slowly. The government needs to build a proper manufacturing infrastructure again, and get people back on the machines. It’s going to be expensive to do, but the beauty about it is you can control it more”. And he’s not half wrong. That’s exactly why it’s so expensive here. The skillset to make such items is fleeting, and a reliance on cheap labour abroad prohibits us from really breaking that cycle.

I think it’s also worth discussing how cheap isn’t really cheap. Of course, at the point of purchase it is… but like we’ve said, in 3 months time the fabrics will deteriorate and you’ll be left having to rebuy. Over time, you get stuck in that cycle, and you’ll more than likely have overspent what you could’ve invested into one quality piece. I think we also have a sort of ‘ignorance is bliss’ mentality to it too. We tend to neglect the conditions workers are put through to manufacture in fast fashion, and how underpaid and mistreated they are. All the while, the bosses of bloated multinationals bathe in profits.

Let’s think about the phrase “Sunday best”. An ideology born out of scarcity and social ritual. Working class people would save and save and save and save and save before investing in carefully chosen, hard-wearing clothing that is designed to be worn, shaped by you, repaired, and eventually passed on. Back in the day, clothes were labour intensive and expensive, so the culture of “take, make, dispose” just wasn’t possible. Clothes needed to be tough, washable and designed to last. Fashion trends changed maybe once in a generation back then; information travelled slowly; people owned fewer clothes; clothes took longer to make. A certain silhouette would dominate for 30 odd years, evolving slightly through tailoring and repairs; but now trends change almost monthly. A “fashionable” piece bought in January is probably past it by June – adding to why clothing-waste is sky high. People also used to wear the hell out of their clothes, and that in itself made them look better and better. They would gradually mould to the person wearing them, and become a completely unique product. Most clothes don’t last long enough to achieve that now.

Ultimately, good craftsmanship, maintenance and mindfulness is something that we should all perhaps be a little more knowledgeable on. It’s better for us, the planet, the workers who make the clothes, and in the long run your wallet will more than likely thank you too!